Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I'd like to officially call to order the planning commission meeting of May 7th, 2026 and let the record reflect that all commissioners are present. Thank you. Commissioner Fuentes, will you please lead us in the pledge of allegiance? United States of

We'll start with presentations and director Gail Arian will introduce the first item. Yes. Our first presentation, I'd like to introduce John Condan of Tribuko Consulting, who is here to provide the commission with a presentation on crime prevention through environmental design.

Thank you, Gail. Good evening, members of the commission and city staff. Uh my name is John Condan with Tribico Consulting and I want to thank you for the opportunity to come speak with you tonight about a pretty powerful uh community crime prevention tool called crime prevention through environmental design. Um but before we get started on that, I want you to take a moment and take a moment and think about what really brought us here today. It's because we believe in keeping our community safe. Lake Forest has a lot to offer. We are invested in this community and we want us to see it do well. Myself included. I'm a resident of the community um for the last 27 years. I believe in in what this community is doing and I want to see it progress. I want to see it continue to do great things. Uh I live I moved here in 1997. I raised my two daughters here. Um and I've enjoyed all the amenities and the qualities that Lake Forest has to offer uh people. And I have no intention of moving anytime soon. Um, so I I have a vested interest in wanting to make sure that we're doing everything we can to help keep our community, our residents, our businesses in the best position possible to stay safe and productive and so forth. Uh, communities don't become safe and successful by accident. It takes a lot of planning, a lot of effort, a lot of commitment from a from over a long period of time to get there. And that's why I'm here tonight. I'm hoping to share some of my experience in public safety with you and to support the planning commission and the whole city with your efforts to help keep the community safe. You know, we've all seen communities grow over time. Um, they evolve quite readily. I can actually remember some of these pictures back in the day when I was younger. You know, kind of a a blast to the past right here. Um, but you can see a community's evolved and the decisions that you make and the philosophies that you embrace really guide those decisions down the road.

So again, a little bit about me. Uh, John Condan with Tribuka Consulting. I have over 35 years of public safety experience both in the public and private sector. Retired from Irvine PD as a lieutenant. Uh, worked with the city of Irvine Community Services for about 10 years. I hold a professional designation in crime prevention through environmental design. And I've had the privilege of working with the great staff here like Amy and Winston and Gail for a couple years now in bringing SEPTED to different projects and different efforts that they've been uh they've been working on. So look forward to doing more of that. So what is crime prevention through environmental design? It's really about designing and caring for our places, whether it be a business, whether it be a public space, whether it be a private home, in ways that naturally encourage the safe and positive use by the community. So, we're designing with intention. This began in the 1960s as a as a as a term of crime prevention through environmental design by some sociologists and criminologists who were looking at the influence of crime. Really started out as a physical space type development. that's evolved over the years to include more of the social factors that that impact communities as well, but it's really about how we design our spaces to encourage the proper use and keep them safe. Uh there's three different ways that we kind of look at using crime prevention through envir environmental design or septed. Uh one is natural. That's meaning in the design process itself, we are trying to include features and elements that encourage the positive use of that space. Um whether it's the way that the landscape is done or the way that we design our trails or the amenities and so forth all play a part in how we keep those things together. So, a lot of planning that goes along with that. Then there's more of a mechanical aspect of it. This is more target hardening. These are like locks on doors and security cameras and things like that. Uh then we also have kind of an organized aspect of it which is things like neighborhood watch or

different programs or your star program here in the in the city or your your crossing guard parents who are doing those type of things. Um we bring the community together. The city did a great thing not too long ago. done this a couple times uh in some of the communities where they've gone out and done large item pickup to help people move clutter from the the yards and and help keep the community looking nice and clean and safe. Um so, you know, kudos to the city for really making that effort and making that happen. So, SEPTA is built on a couple different principles and these principles are really geared towards encouraging the proper use and continued use of space. uh natural surveillance about putting eyes out in the community so we can see what's going on and that we can be seen as we're doing things. We all know that bad guys don't like to be seen. Uh so the more that we can create visibility, the better. Natural access control. It's not necessarily about putting a a lock on a door or a gate. It's about guiding people into the areas that we want them to use using natural elements like landscape or lighting um in such a way that we are guiding how people move into an area and throughout an area. Territorial reinforcement defining ownership of a space doing using different elements to really define this is private space, this is public space, this is kind of in between space. so that people get the visual cues to know where they're entering and what you know what their behavior should be like basically. And then maintenance, which Lake Forest does a great job of of making sure that our public spaces and areas are well maintained and and for the businesses and people in the community that maybe are having a little bit of challenge there. We have code enforcement that also offers support and guidance to those people as well to help make sure that we are are keeping things safe and well maintained in our community. So natural surveillance, if you take a look at some of these pictures up here, it's really about the placement of features and the materials that we use.

We want clear sight lines. We want to be able to see into businesses, see into parks. Think about the patrol officer driving down the street being able to see a park or even you as you're driving home tonight and you go to look into that business complex. Can you see what's going on in there? You know, think about that. uh see-through materials, whether it's a gate that you can see through so you know what's happening on the other side of that or uh windows in proper places so you can see out into the parking lot. Uh those are all important things. Then putting activities into places like down here on the the left hand picture the the uh people in the park using the benches. They're there to have fun, but those are all now people that are invested in that park. They're looking at that park. they're seeing what's going on uh and and they can they can see what's happening in the different areas as well. Um in our businesses, we saw this a lot with the pandemic where people started doing outdoor uh eating on the patios and outsourced areas. Those think about those people now have eyes out on that parking lot to be able to see what's going on out there as well. So, that's an important element, too. So, the more that we can encourage people viewing different places and make it easier for us to see what's going on, the safer we're going to feel and the safer uh that it's going to keep that community as well. Access control, again, it's about guiding access into an area, whether it's by lighting, a pathway, um proper signage. Uh what we have here are some things like celebrated entry which is basically like if you think about the front of city hall it's pretty clear where I'm going to go where the front of city hall is because you've designed it in such a way that when you pull in you kind of recognize that that's where I need to go. Those are all important elements when we do that. At our homes we have a path that leads up to our front door with a light and so it's kind of a celebrated entry as we move in. Think about the same thing with our businesses as well. Um, but the pathways we can use the landscaping to kind of guide people around where we want them to go and where we want them to move.

Territorial reinforcement. U, we've all been to coffee shops. Uh, I just happened to be at this one the other day and I really enjoyed looking at this particular one. Um, you can see the walkway on the outside which is more of a public space. Um, and it's about defining boundaries of where you want people moving and and and what's more of a private place versus maybe a not so private place. The patio itself is still a public place, but it's kind of separated from the rest of it. It kind of says that, hey, you're kind of getting close to the business here. This is more of a semi-public place. It's more for people who are going to be using the the facility. Then you have the inside of the business, which is absolutely more of a private space. um businesses by the way you use your landscaping. You can have fencing materials or posts like in one of those pictures here. It's not going to stop anybody. It's a visual cue that I don't want people walking over that hill. Um very very simple guidance. Um landmarks and monuments like your your park signs or your entrances into business parks where it says commerce center business park and those type of things that starts telling people that this is a place that there's business being conducted. it belongs to somebody and it kind of identifies it. So territorial reinforcement is another aspect that we have to think about as we are designing our neighborhoods and our new business complexes or parks and so forth. Maintenance again uh as one of the pillars of SEPTED maintenance is very important. We spend a lot of time and energy creating nice buildings and great places. We want to make sure that we are keeping them uh beautiful, maintained, that we're not letting bushes and, you know, overgrow, creating dark spots, creating places where people can hide or people can break into the business and not be seen. Uh you feel safer walking into those areas. I'm going to feel much safer, you know, allowing my wife to go to a business like this at night if she needed to to walking. You can see

everything. Um our parks are beautiful. We keep them well lit, keep them, you know, wellmaintained so people feel comfortable going into that environment and using it. But it's the same concept whether it's the park or business complex or city hall or whatever it may be, that maintenance has to be an element to it because people feel safer in well-man maintained areas. Um, so with those pillars, there's different ways that we can accomplish that because these all work together. There's not just one that happens independent of each other. they overlap and a lot of these principles and and elements that we can use support multiple pillars of septed activity. Um, one of my favorite events is the u the Lake Forest concerts in in the sports park. Uh, this just happens to be a picture of people at a at a at a park watching a movie, but that park may be underutilized. Now we're putting an activity in that park, but people are going there, they're enjoying the park, they become familiar with it. Now it's their park. they want to keep take care of it. Um, and just it puts all those eyes in that park as well. So, it becomes more of their park and and more likely to be used in the proper way. Art, public art in key places where you're drawing people's attention visually to different areas that may be a little slower or maybe people go by without paying much attention to. You can put art in these different places to draw attention to it. Um, a lot of times you use local artists who can, you know, put up a project or display and be able to, you know, show that off and they start developing pride in that and maybe want to bring people take a look at it. Uh, so, uh, strategically and then also your materials that you use. Again, the landscaping, the design, uh, fencing materials, you know, you can choose different types, but be able to see through versus not see-through, you have to decide on the on the right time for those different types of elements. But obviously being able to see through a fence and know what's on the other side is pretty important. But there may be

times where you don't want to do that. But you have that conversation and you discuss that ahead of time. Um wayfinding and signage is important. Helps bring organization to people's travels through different parts of your uh think about a business park. Again, they're walking in. They want to know where building one is or this this building is. To be able to have that clearly displayed so they can find those areas is very important. And again, the celebrated entry like the Lake Forest Sports Park. Again, I really like that park. Um, but it's a good example of, hey, here's a big sign says this is the sports park. People know where they're entering. It claims ownership to it and says, you know, it kind of sets a standard for how people should behave in that area. So, some considerations as you are looking at plans and you're talking to the different developers and people that come in or these types of things that you want to be thinking about too is, you know, community input. Uh, you guys do a great job. open forums, people coming in giving their input to be able to continue to do that and ask those questions. We, you know, the people who live there know best and will be able to tell us a lot about what is happening in that community or what they're looking for. Um, you want to pick materials that are safe for that area. You don't want to put a bunch of rose bushes in a park, right? So, you want to be look at materials that are sustainable, drought tolerant maybe. Um, but the right materials for the right area. Lighting is important. What type of lighting? Fencing. Uh public safety is another big part of this. You want to be thinking about how you're going to get your first responders into that area if there's an emergency, whether it's the sheriff's department or the fire department. How are they going to get those trucks into that area? How are they going to find the places properly? You know, are the sign are the the addresses posted properly like they're supposed to be by code? Um you know, if they have to do whatever in there, are they able to to get into that area? So, when you have these discussions, you should be talking with your first responders as well to make sure they're aware of whatever changes you're making. If it's a an existing place that you're making a modification to, that they have an

opportunity to give some input on that. Um, you know, click to enter. Uh, that's a that's a I'm sure you're familiar with click to enter where the the first responders have the ability to open gates with their radios instead of getting out and opening them with a key. You know, different things like that are really important to be able to to assist with that. Uh, and then maintenance. You want to pick materials that you are willing to maintain as they need to be maintained. You don't want to put a bush in an area that's going to grow out of control and then not take care of it. So, um, picking the right materials is is very important. So, how do we support city planning? You know, we hope that SEPTED can be used as a framework for discussion. You can use some of the principles and be able to refer to them as you're having your conversations with planners or people coming in asking for their permits and so forth. Um, we want to be proactive. We don't want to be reactive. You know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, let's get it right the first time. Let's try to make sure that we're doing these things so that that we're being on the proactive end of things to avoid problems down the road. And then taking these ideas and and creating our designs or offering our input with purpose. We know what it is that we're trying to get to, trying to create that safe community. So, questions that you can use as you're talking to people and as you're talking amongst yourselves. um are what I call the 3Ds. Your designation, definition, and design. Ask yourself, what is the intended use of this space? So, as you're looking at a space, you're looking at a plan, you ask yourself, what is the intended use of this space? What is the current use? What is the future use? We are going through right now in the city, a lot of redevelopment efforts. There's new businesses coming in. We have businesses that used to exist. Now, we're putting new businesses in there. Is the use consistent with the area? Are we are we asking those proper questions? Then we want to define it, right? Um we want to look at how is the use and the ownership and the responsibility of that space being expressed not only on paper but to the community itself. Foothill Town Center,

what is it saying? Do I know that I'm walking into that private business? Um whatever it may be. Um are we sharing that with the community? um you know, Portoola Park or El Toro Park, whatever it is, people know that they're walking into that that area and they know kind of who's responsible for it. And then the design the the design itself. Um does the design support the safe and intended use? A lot of times we see areas that have morphed changed over time from time to time. You should ask yourself, is the design supporting what it was intended to do or has it changed in such a way that now we need to take a step back and look at it again and have other conversations. So, the more questions that we can ask, the better information that we're going to have and then and more that we can support building a safer community. Um, I ask cities to kind of use this uh this model here, which is Sept 360. It's really I I say it is how courageous cities will work, right? A safer city wants to look at what's new out there. Uh not be afraid of of new ideas, act with intention and look at how they can make changes to benefit the community and not be afraid of that. But then to observe, look at what's going on around the community. Uh take action as necessary and then see what's working, what's not, and if and then help build our systems and build our programs better so that we are serving that community. How do we turn this into action? Education. We want to make sure that that our staff, our community, um, uh, the people that we work with are aware all the way from our maintenance crews to our public works crews to our, uh, first responders to our city planners and so forth. They're all kind of going at it with the same idea and the same kind of concept. And if we all have the same ideas when we're working on these things, you don't have a maintenance person going and put in a tree where the tree shouldn't be, right? And so, uh,

making sure that people are aware of these concepts, policy, uh, we can set, you guys are in a position to be able to set policy or set give direction on what it is that we need to do um, and help guide those conversations. And then when it gets to the physical design aspect of it, we're being very intentional with what we want to see. We know what the outcome is. we know what we want to see when we're done with this. So, what have I been doing to help uh Lake Forest? Uh over the last couple years, we've been doing um practical assessments, septite assessments, and and recommendations for different projects throughout the community. Uh we've done uh quite a number of those so far, working a lot with code enforcement as well. If there's a problem area, we've gone out, we've looked at it, had meetings with the the property owners and said, "Hey, here are some suggestions of things that you can do." Um, we've recently done a plan review with um, the Kavanaaugh Park plan that that is being built right now. We uh, looked at those plans with the planner and had some suggestions and ideas of thoughts of what they could do and add and change. U, I bring my public safety background into it as well. Um, I' I've had the privilege of going out in the middle of the night and responding to parks where kids are hanging out and doing things they're not supposed to be doing and so I kind of have a a feel for for some of that as well. uh staff and community education. We've gone out to numerous different community events, passed out information, spoke with residents about what SEPTA is. Um and we've done some data analysis. As you can see the the middle slide there, Maryvine Street. Um it's in the area 2 project for the neighborhood improvement task force. It's off of uh Rockfield and Los Alisos area. That was very dark. I patrolled that area. I drove that area a number of different times. Uh daytime, nighttime, and and then also with Winston up here. Um, and one of the things we noticed was it was very, very dark throughout that community. We also met with the residents there on a couple different occasions through different events. And this was one particular location that they really complained about uh being too dark. A lot of illicit activity happening on that street. Uh, and people just really did

not feel safe. You can see the before and after pictures. So, public works, again, going back to my Sept 360 model, they took action. They worked with with with uh Amy Vincson, the crew, uh the neighborhood improvement task force met with public works. They said, "Let's get this done." They were able to put a solar light in there, street light in there, and light up that different area. So, you can see that's the exact same spot on both of those pictures, the difference of having that light in that area. Makes a big difference. So, you know, kudos to the city for for acting on that, not having to to go through all kinds of red tape and wait forever to get it done. They saw the need. They were able to work it and get it done in a very timely manner. So, so with that, uh, in closing, um, you know, the choices you make today obviously are going to have lasting impacts on this community. Uh, we trust that you guys will make great decisions. I'm here to support you with whatever I can, whatever information that that I can help give or or guide. And really with SEPTED, you know, our imagination, there's all kinds of different ways to be able to apply these principles and just your imagination is the limit. So, uh, thank you again for letting me speak a little bit about on this topic. I'm very passionate about, uh, this, uh, particular way of keeping the community safe and look forward to working with the city for a while to come. So, with that, thank you very much and I'm free for any questions.

Thank you very much. This is a thorough presentation. I appreciate it. Commissioner Fuentes, do you have any questions or comments? She was so thorough. Commissioner Vilwok, I was just going to say thanks LT. Good presentation. I remember having coffee with you several years ago before this contract came to play and I know that your experience and looking at our parks, the bus stops, the alcohol establishments, all those things that typically attract this that this is the great first step to keep it safer for everybody. So, I appreciate it. Thank you. Sir.

Yeah. Thank you very much for the presentation. It's very enlightening. I'm gives me some interesting ideas of how we pursue this type of thing within the city. Thank you, Vice Chair. Yes, John. Very thorough again. And uh I I'm familiar and and have employed some of these uh these methods and in um uh master plan developments and things of that nature and uh uh they work. And so it's it's the intentionality of design as you go through the process and and uh and not just, you know, looking at it half-hazardly or willy-nilly. It's it's you're looking at it with an a focus on what what kind of outcome you're going to Yes. have and that's public safety. So, thank you. You're welcome. Thank you.

Well, I'll reiterate my comment about a thorough presentation and then I'll add in a question. Sure. Um, you mentioned El Toro Park and I'm hoping that it's because of recent experience or a visit there.

Yeah, I've been through it. I mean, again, when I when I live in this community, I'm by it all the time. I've been seeing it. Um, but I've been asked to go check out different areas as well. El Toro Park, I know, is big conversation right now. There's been a lot of things that are going on out there. We actually started looking at some of the stuff before some of these conversations that were happening. But the issues that I've seen or that I've heard come up as related to that, I see the validity of some of those comments. So, you know, but that's a great example of a park that was built a long time ago. It's been there for a long, long time and things have changed over time and we need to, you know, it could be beneficial to go back and re-evaluate.

I agree and I thank you for saying that. You listen. I was one of the people that commented to you during one of these events on Eltoa Park and some possible improvements. So looking forward to seeing what comes of that. Great. Great. Thank you. Again, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Absolutely. Director Aerman, will you please introduce item two?

Yes. Our second um presentation is the capital improvement plan update. And here to provide that uh presentation for you is Naz Moaram. And she's newly appointed assistant director of public works. Thank you, Director Akerman. Uh, good evening, chair and commissioners. I'm Nosmaram, assistant director of public works, and I'm here tonight to provide you an update on our capital improvement pro program or CIP for the first quarter of 2026. Our current program includes 60 projects for a total of $55 million. You may notice this number is a little different than what it was presented to you in the fourth quarter of 2025. And the reason for that is council approved two additional CIP projects during their midyear review. So let's start off with what projects have been completed in the past three months. We have four projects that have been completed since the last update. Neighborhood park renovations at Vintage Park was completed in February. Pickle ball court restriping was done earlier in 2025. We had one last uh community outreach and presented the results to council in February. Annual city citywide street sidewalk repairs was completed in March and we completed the phase two study for protected permissive uh left turn. Other projects completed earlier were presented in more details to you earlier on and are listed here and on this slide. The last two projects are renovation of aging infrastructure um and baseball fields and replacement of existing sport field lighting with energy efficient

lighting and uh upgrading the associated electrical uh equipment at Heroes Park. uh the fields had not been had not undergone any major renovation in the last 30 years and are heavily used for youth sports and tournaments. So this April um Heroes Park was featured in our mayor's minute and I'd like to share that with you here at Heroes Park, one of the most loved community spaces and today it's all about these fields and the teams who bring them to life. So I want you to be honest. What do you think about the fields? I think it's great. I love how you're able to play even better than before. It makes it way cleaner and safer

on explode. Go attack fire. Yep. Attack, Jimmy. So, what's your favorite part about this field? Um, I would definitely say the new installed LED lights. They're super cool when it's night time and you're playing and they just I just like them. Feels like the major leagues, right? Awesome. Uh I like the uh scoreboard cuz they just didn't work last season. Uh well, they're working now and you guys are lighting the scoreboard up, right? Awesome. Especially you, right? Yeah. All right, coach. You've seen the field before and after. What's changed the most?

I got to tell you, the the time and energy that the city's put into these fields. I mean, we have a brand new uh dirt infield. The turf is brand new on all four fields here. Uh they got brand new fences out on one and four. The the the team that just won the Little League World Series two years ago. Their field manager was out over the weekend and he said these are the nicest fields he's seen and he's played on all of them. So, it just goes a long way to show how far uh the league has come, the city has come and the love that they pour into these fields has made all the difference in the world to these kids and and all these players. So, thank you.

Oh, thank you. Heroes Park recently underwent a full renovation, including regraded fields, improved irrigation, new fencing, and energy efficient LED lighting that makes a big difference for both play and sustainability. And it's not just us who think it turned out great. This project is actually being nominated for a countywide engineering award, highlighting how investments like this make a big difference for our players, families, and community. All right, I have one final question. and who's going to win the championship this season.

Heroes Park is more than just a park. It's where our community comes together and where young athletes grow and where memories are made. Win or lose, every heavy hitter deserves a sweet finish. Swing by a little something sweet. Located at 20770 Lake Forest Drive, Sweet Seat, for a postgame treat. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you at the next Mayor's Minute. All right, coach. In 2017, the Astros got this ring by doing some certain things. I'm not saying that you should cheat, but what do you think? Well, here at Lake Forest Little League, we focus on fundamentals, development, and having fun.

I guess so. So, I'm glad to share that Heroes Park improvement projects were recognized with an outstanding parks and recreation project award by American Society of Civil Engineers or ASC last night. Together, these projects represent a significant long-term investment in improving recreational facilities for park users. So since June 2025, we completed 17 projects equating to more than $10.5 million investment in our in the community from our current CIP program. We currently have 12 projects in various phases of construction. Construction of El Toro Road corridor uh improvements uh begun in April. These improvements, which is four projects listed here combined, uh are expected to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow, and enhance overall safety. City has placed changeable message boards throughout the project uh area to notify the public of upcoming construction activities. All three lift intersection improvement projects are substantially complete. Uh we are waiting for last few traffic equipment delivery to finalize and close out these projects. and uh Bake Tribuko intersection widening is well underway. Widening of the road along Bake Parkway is complete and median improvements are currently being implemented. We anticipate project completion this summer. Citywide restroom renovations is substantially complete. We are working on um a couple of last uh punch list items to finalize the project. Fifth phase of audible pedestrian signal is in

submittal and procurement phase. Uh we anticipate equally later this month and um installation next month. Lake Forest Sports Park HVAC replacement is also in sub middle and rec and procurement phase. We anticipate delivery and installation in June and Foothill Ranch box lacrosse link installation is under construction. We have eight projects in pre-construction. Four are in award process. Atney skate park energy efficient LED lighting was uh awarded by council this Tuesday and staff is working on award awarding contracts for the other three. And we have three projects that we anticipate they'll be advertised for construction within the next three months. We have currently eight projects in design. Three are developer fee funded intersection improvement projects. These are a longer term projects in design. On the street um improvement side, we are working on arterial wall enhancement in southwest lake forest and bake parkway resurfacing. We are also working on Oso Creek drainage repairs, nature park trail connection and foothill ranch park slope landscape improvements. We have about another 17 projects in our C CIP program currently. Some of these projects will be funded in fiscal year 2627. So we'll start working on those after the funding is approved. However, there are three projects that are actively in pre-esigned phase and I wanted to point them out here. Cavana Park, Lake Forest Sports Park building renovations and needs escape

park building improvements. Uh we requested proposals for those earlier uh in April and currently the proposals are under evaluation for award of design contracts. So in summary, we completed 17 projects since the beginning of fiscal year. We have 12 projects in construction, eight projects in pre-construction, eight projects in design, and three projects in pre-esign. So this concludes my report. Thank you for your time and I'm available for any questions. Thank you very much. Commissioner Bwalk, do you have any questions or comments?

Yeah, good good presentation, ma'am. I appreciate it. I do have a question. So, some residents in the my neighborhood have come up regarding the fiber installation that's happening. They've come by, they've done the fiber, they cut it, they they resurface the street on that portion of it, but we still have the graffiti all over the sidewalks and so that's up and down our community and has been that way for a couple months. Do you have any updates on that?

Yes, they when they come in, Cityside is first considered a utility company now based on the state franchise. So we are required to provide them access to public right away and we can require them to follow our standard encroachment permit basically standards that we are requesting from other utility companies. They usually come in at least five different phases. So they start with uh micro trenching and putting their cables in. Then they have to pull the fiber. Once they pull the fiber, they usually put the one sack one slurry to fill out that micro trench which looks sandy material.

They usually they have to test the fiber before they do their permanent repairs. Um once they test the fiber and usually they do these in phases for each. So one neighborhood they start microention they finish all of it then then they can test the fiber then they can pull the fiber then they can test it. Once they test the fiber they come back and um do the tut asphalt repairs which we can require them to do per our city standards permanent asphalt repairs. Then they have a second crew coming a few weeks after to make the permanent um concrete repairs wherever they u disturb the sidewalk. And um on top of that they'll start working on private property connections. So the customers that they already requested private connections they will work on those next. They usually don't they they can't remove their USA digert markings till they are done with those private property connections and they're complete. Test it, make sure it's viable, then they remove the dears. It should be um the whole process takes a little bit of time and we we get tickets from residents and we follow up on them. Sometimes it's the fact that they done the neighborhood and then they get customers um connection request and and and it feels like the same digert has remained on the streets for a while. But if there's a specific uh location, let us know. We you know they are utility company. We sometimes have to

make sure they follow our rules and stay on top of them. Yeah, Coronado Street still looks like Graffiti Central along all of Foothill Ranch on that side of the loop and I think some assistance would be appreciated there. Okay, thank you, Commissioner L.

I just curious, it looks like a lot of the patching work they've done is not really holding up real well and Parker states where I live. I mean, some of it's coming back out already and the graffiti in the street I can live with. in case it's not on the sidewalk, but um it doesn't look like in some cases their patching job has been all that good. And do you go out and check those periodically or do you follow up after them to make sure that

Yeah, we have inspectors out there in the field following up with them. However, send us the address and we double check. Sometimes we have to go back even on temporary repairs. We had to request them several times. Even though it's temporary, you need still to follow our city standard. There are st certain standards for temporary patches that we have requested them to go back and make correct them. Basically,

I know we've also had people complaining in my neighborhood about when they came out and installed their junction boxes in their utility easement that they tore up a lot of landscaping and they didn't necessarily replace it real well. Uh do we have any recourse on that if they're not doing a real good job with the utility box cleanup in the in the basically in the easement with which the city has to give them?

Yes, we have to they they have the three ft utility easement to be able to put their boxes in. However, they have to keep their customers happy the same way we reach out to them. Sometimes the residents ask us and reach out to them and you know try to come up with corrective actions for whatever the resident has concern. They also have a concierge line for uh residents that you can reach out to them directly and ask them if you have issues or concerns with that. So if they don't get satisfaction cityside they can call your office and

yes. So that's what we encourage. We encourage you guys, we encourage residents to reach out to them, but if you don't get the response you want, city will follow up them. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate your very detailed presentation. Yeah, you're welcome. Just for one clarification that the markings are on the sidewalk, not on the street. So, I just wanted to make sure what I was discussing. It's all over the sidewalk. sidewalk. It's probably for the uh more for the connection to the Yeah, it's likece I think it's the different utility companies, but it's like different colors and it's all over the sidewalk. Thank you. Commissioner Fuentes.

Well, beyond City, I think you've done a great job with all of your projects this uh this and your presentation was wonderful. It was great to see the the baseball and of course our mayor out there making his jokes. So anyway, thank you very much. Thank you.

Yes, I appreciate the the presentation and there's a lot of great works going on throughout the city. So, so thank you for that. I am going to jump on the fiber optics as well because I that was one issue I was going to u bring up before Commissioner Bill walked in. But uh uh I understand that a utility has an easement and there are certain rights that they have in doing that. Um so my first first off I have a question. Do we treat utilities differently than we do anybody else that has an encroachment in the street?

No. So, it would be reasonable then that if we're requiring builders and developers, if they're developing a property, they're required to complete the street if they're putting connections in or expanding uh utilities or or whatnot. Is that correct? In other words, if if I'm developing a property and I'm encro and I'm doing encroachments in the street such as upsizing the storm drain or putting a new water line in, I'm working in the street. I'm working, you know, within the easements that are that the utilities are in there. But once I I have have dug a trench and and put temporary temporary asphalt in place and maybe even brought it up to grade with the existing asphalt. Um, if I'm developing that property, typically most jurisdictions require me to slurry seal that entire street because of the if I've made connections that go on both sides of the street. If it's just half the street, it might be half plus 10 ft. But in any case, that that is a requirement in most jurisdictions. Is that not the requirement here? development project depending on the size of project just beginning in when you're working in the street making connections through an encroachment permit as you just stated the encroachment applies to utilities just like it does everybody else is that what we require builders and developers to do

I'm not familiar with our builders and developers requirement in detail because that's something that is done during the planning and development phase and depending on the size there may be different requirements um imposed on the developer because if you're building a full community, your requirements is different than if you're if you're doing remodeling within a residential u one single family residential. What I uh what we follow with city side is what we can require from all the other utility agencies that they do regular work within our public right away such as trenching. So what we can do is if they are in a um street that has been slurry sealed or resurfaced within the past three to five years, we can ask them for um following our moratorium regulation, which means the full slurry seal of the entire street, full width, full length.

Um if it is not within our moratorium requirements, we can require them. it's not within our moratorium uh window time window from the last time this the street was maintained. Uh they'll need to do the teac cut trenching

here. Here's the issue. Irrespective of how long the street has been since it's been slurried. There's still there neighborhoods throughout the city right now that look significantly demonstrabably worse now that the fiber has been put in that. I mean the city the streets still look torn up. um as as has already been been suggested um they're it's falling apart. The the patches aren't done properly. Um the edge conditions are sinking. Um and and this is throughout there. I'm hearing from a number of residents now on a regular basis of of how upset they are with the condition that's being left of our streets. And it's not just the paint and and the the temporary. It's the it's what appears to be permanent. and the inquiries that have been relayed to me at least uh when they've asked the city is this how it's going to be left or or when when is it going to be completed the answer is that's been relayed back to me is it is complete so

so whenever we get a comment from residents we have our inspector go back and check in the field what we are looking is for the structural integrity of pavement if it's

No you're missing my point you're missing my question how is it that we're asking our residences to endure imp the these these uh these infrastructure projects and they're leaving their neighborhoods in worse condition than it was before. We don't we look at our our residents here, our our constituents as our customers and don't we look at at when we're doing some of these this this work that we're doing or having utilities do, you know, we're the city. We still maintain the streets. We maintain the the rightway responsibility. So we should be requiring the utilities to at least put them back the way that they were. I would imagine

we can require them to do this to repair the pavement structurally to a way that is structurally competent. But um we have a separate celery seal residential celery seal program and arterial resurfacing program. The way we we work with city side is make sure they don't go in before we we do a slurry seal and try to have them stagger their neighborhood that they are doing. So it follows our celery seal program follows them. However,

so so so you're saying that there is going to be a slurry seal program on all the streets that have had the fiber optics installed in the last few months. No c city has already a residential slur seal program in place and it takes a few years depending on which neighborhood you are in. So just one I think I want to see if we can get a clarifying um answer here. So city side came in they did a lot of work in a lot of neighborhoods here. Correct.

They as part of that they trenched in the streets. In some places they put temporary um um infill and Then in other places did they have they come back and put permanent infill and they're done with it? They should be coming back and put ter but they they should be doing it. Have they started doing it? Yes. And has the city gone out and checked on what it is that they're doing and does it meet the city standards?

Yes. Wherever the permit is closed, it's been inspected fully inspected. It's it's a multi-phase program. It takes them a while to go throughout the neighborhood and we rely on hearing back from the residents to make sure there is no part that if we get comments we go back check if it's not per our standards. We ask them to correct that area and in reinspect it again. Okay. So there is responsive monitoring. Correct. when you get complaints from and we have regular inspection. We have proactive as well. Correct.

What is the expected dur when is the city project um projected to be complete in total? The last permits they have is in Porto neighborhood which is currently under construction. That would be the last neighborhood that they currently requested to have encroachment permits. Okay. And are there areas that have been completely finished? Yes. Okay. And those areas have been gone and been reviewed and meet the city standard. Is that correct? Yes.

Okay. So I I'm going to give back to you now because I so so so where I'm going with this is first off, what is the city standard again? What does that look like? I can send you the encroachment permit. No actually. So, so in the public hearing, I'd like you to describe what does that street look like after it's completed under city standards. It's a teacot permanent asphalt repair with the required compaction for the asphalt. What does that I understand what you're saying. I I understand what you're saying,

but but for the general public, what does that look like when they drive down the street? What does that physically look like? Depending on how old your the asphalt is in the city there in in that street, there may be some weathering and the discoloration between the trench you see and the asphalt you see.

So, okay, I'm I'm not Let me just shortcut this. What we're seeing in neighborhoods is a series of black stripes going linear and horizontal across the street in what was a uniform asphalt application despite however old it might be. But again, I look at and and that's why I'm look I'm asking what the city standard is for requiring it because I have I have a a a lot of jurisdictions I know for a fact require utilities as they do anybody else that does improvements and connections in the street to at least come back and provide a uniform appearance. And that's what the residents are complaining about. It looks like their streets have been slot patched throughout and they don't appreciate that. And and quite frankly, I I I don't have an argument for that because it because I agree it it doesn't look good. And I do know for a fact that that when when properties are developed and and they are required to go out into the street and do some kind of improvement to the infrastructure, they're required to bring the street back to an acceptable appearance. And right now we have a a we have whole neighborhoods throughout our city right now that don't have an acceptable appearance according to the residents that live there. So I I'm I'm emphasizing a point because I I'm starting to hear from a lot of people that this is going to be a problem and and it's going to it's it's going to rise to a higher level of scrutiny. And so I just want to make sure that city staff understands that what has been done out there right now is to our residents is not acceptable. Anybody last question or you good? I

have one more that part. I have another comment. I think what I'm hearing too is that perhaps the city should be reaching out and asking for quality assurance from the residents, not just waiting on residents to complain that they should be going out actively and seeking information and checking those streets whether they're done or not. Um, does public works also do graffiti removal? Yes, we do. And how often do you like how quick do you guys respond and remove graffiti? Typically, I know our response is pretty fast. I don't have the statistic because it's um probably within a week, two weeks at the at the most. Right. Primarily. Yeah.

So, what I have is graffiti all over the street. Literally graffiti that on anyone else wouldn't have been left there for several months at a time.

It's sloppy at best. So, we either need to require the utility to to correct it and then come out and mark it and then do the work or fix it in the interim. We don't let people keep Christmas lights up year round. We don't put up old signs and leave them up. This is just terrible work and it needs to be fixed. And I think the city should be doing more to provide this information to the residents so it doesn't get to that frustration. whether it's the website, whether it's frequently asked questions, whether it's a survey that goes out that people can share this complaint because you have a bunch of us up here that our residents and our neighbors are coming up to us when we're walking our dogs, we're working out on the streets, and this is just a portion that I'm assuming there's a lot more that are impacted by it. So, thank you.

Yeah, thank you. Go ahead. Thanks. in line with the slurry seal. Now, I understand what you're if I understand what you're telling me correctly, is that we're not requiring them to slurry seal the street. They basically they they do their their slurry patch, which is what I would call it, and then we waits until the city comes around and reslurries the street again. But I also understand that the city now is delaying slurry seal because the cost of asphalt and street work. Is that true? We are keeping our solar residential program. We have and that's on the regular cycle we are going to be going to zone D next this year.

I think question excuse me real quickly. So has but has I think the question was if I'm not mistaken has the cycle been slowed down in any ways because of budgetary reasons? That's my understanding of the question. Is that correct? That's that's the question I'm asking. Have you slowed down the slurry seal program because of budgetary consideration?

There has been an update to our pavement management plan program uh based on the latest study which was last year. Based on the result of the program, we saw that because we have the slurry seal for residential streets. In general, our PCI condition um pavement index condition for our uh residential street is doing pretty well. However, our arterial streets will need more proactive attention to. So, our last pavement management study done by our consultant, the pavement management expert recommended that we request additional funding from council that was approved and making a resident residential sol program shifted from sevenyear to 10year program and make sure that we also get res arterial streets. So, what I would ask um in followup is it sounds like the streets are overall in better shape than they were supposed to be. Is that correct?

But the index you mentioned, our index are pretty good. That's really good. But I think that what wasn't potentially taken into account is that the streets, a lot of the streets have been torn up. And that's where extending that timeline is introducing, you know, going from a seven-year program to a 10-year program. and then some of these folks because I have gotten complaints as well um about paint and about trenches and about when are they coming back um and so that seems like another challenge that's tossed on on top of it that we're now extending the cycle for when those slurry seals and are going to take place. Is that correct? Essentially. Yes. Yes. Okay.

Well, uh we do our pavement management program and field surveys every other year. So this this suggestion to council was for two years. We requested we had $4 million for street resurfacing and slur seal program. We requested to get an additional 4.6 million. So that's a pretty good budget for arterial um and residential street resurfacing and celery seal program. And what was proposed is for the next two years once we do after two years our field survey we can always adjust as we move forward we are planning for long term but we can adjust as we get the result from the field

does and that result results from the field will that take into account or maybe the question is can that take into account the feedback from this evening the feedback that we've received from residents the feedback that the city is obviously receiving because you're sending folks out to inspect and I can't imagine that they won't continue to increase as the duration of time um goes on. Yes. One more question. What PCI index standard are you using now? You still using 70 which I believe is the CALR standard or have you lowered that? We are right now at 77 77 above the

And what's the average street reading in right now in terms of PCI? So what's the average number that if I picked an average street in Lake Forest, what would the PCI index be? 77. 77. So we are Yeah. Our city PCI average PCI is at 77.

Thank you. Okay. Thank you. I have a question for you. Actually, walk this back a little bit first. The presentation was very good. Not to take anything away from you, but those kids, I think there should be more kids in the presentations that come before the the commission. That would be awesome. However, I would ask for is there a followup based upon the discussion here that we've had and the information that you have that we haven't we've heard um a bit about in regards to feedback as to what can be done to help the the the residents and and solve um at least steps towards a better solution for the problem. Yeah, sure. I can get back to you.

That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. Just I just want to also again thank you for your presentation and and and thank you for for enduring our our our questions and statements. I'm used to it. The question you get I get in the office every day too. It's not we are doing our best. You know it's it's a double-edged sword. Residents want this fiber optic. If I

if the cities require them to do full grind and overlay and restoration, they're not going to come to our neighborhoods. in the resident say but I want that what's happening so we have to maintain a balance between how much we are imposing our standards and making sure so what we are putting the priority is in the structural integrity of the pavement as and as much enforcement as we can do with the utility company to make sure we get that cosmetics or I would be a little bothered with the different colors of my pavement as well comes to us next. So, we have to find the right balance there.

Yes. And I understand there is a balance and and that that that's exactly what I was going to say. So, thank you. Thank you very much.

And I I know I um it's not just because I want the last word, but um what I would like to Yeah, but it's Yeah, it's not because I want to communicate that I want the last words. that um what I think would be helpful and goes into the consideration um of the process and especially with the residents um is we're finding this out because we're in this um this hearing right now and we're getting the presentation from you which is as I said before is very good. Um I don't know how many residents actually watch this to be informed by the questions but I think um an information campaign to let to avoid not wait for the calls to come in or the emails to come in or the commissioners which were happy always to take questions and have conversations with the residents. Um, but to proactively go out to them and communicate what's going on because it is it is a question in their minds, a lot of folks minds, and to get ahead of it rather than constant rather than being behind it and trying to catch up and not being able to. I think that would be helpful.

Sure. Mr. Chair, could I maybe the recommendation that we try to agendaize something in the future where we can get an update on what this I apologize because I wasn't specific enough about that talk all about that. I think that would be awesome if we could bring it back to the commission on an agenda item that the public if they wish to be here could be here for as well for this conversation. Okay. M chair. Yeah, please go. Let's do it. So, I'd just like to ask Gail or or or Michael it is that does that come under our job?

Uh the commission certainly is able to request uh items to come back. Uh the Brown Act allows uh members of the legislative body uh the city council to be able to direct staff to be able to place items on the agenda, but the commission is able to request. So we requested, but it may not happen. It's up to city policy. Thank you. Perfect. Thank you. And if we're being presented to you, hopefully we get a response.

Thank you. At this time, members of the public may address the commission regarding matters not on the agenda and within the jurisdiction of the planning commission. Comments shall be limited to three minutes per person. If you would like to make a comment, please fill out a speaker card and submit it to the commission secretary. The speaker cards are available at the agenda review table by the entrance. Madame commission secretary, have we received any speaker cards for non-aggendaized items? And I think I know the answer. There are no requests to speak this evening.

Thank you. This is the time for the commission to consider matters listed under the consent calendar. Have we received any comments from members of the public on the consent calendar? Been received. All right. Do any commissioners wish to um discuss this item or is there a motion to approve the consent? Motion to approve the consent calendar. Second. Done. Let's vote. Waiting for one more vote, please. Thank you. Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you. I will now open a public hearing for item four and director Gail Acriman, will you please introduce the item? Yes. Uh item four is a zoning code amendment. A city initi initiated zoning code amendment to amend various sections of title nine related to group homes, residential care facilities, and boarding houses. And Jennifer Mansour has a staff report for you this evening.

Good evening, chair and commissioners. Um, based on recent court cases and within federal and state laws, city staff is proposing the zoning code amendment, which includes changes to definitions and permitted and prohibited uses in the city's residential districts. The planning commission's purview is to write provide a recommendation on all title 9 zoning code amendments to the city council. When the zoning code amendment is forwarded to the city council, it will also include a municipal code amendment to amend title 5 to create a new permitting process and regulations for group homes in accordance with state law. This zoning code amendment includes three new definitions for group home, integral facility, and sober living home and two modified definitions for boarding house and residential care facility. Under the proposed zoning code amendment, a group home is a broad term um that for supportive living environments for disabled persons. The term includes both statelicicensed residential care facilities and non-licensed facilities. Residential care facilities under the modified definition only include statelicicensed facilities. So examples of a statelicicensed facility would be an elderly care facility which licensed under the state department of social services or an alcohol or drug and treatment facility which is licensed by the state department of health care services. An example of non-licensed facility would be a sober living home which is one of the definitions. Um, generally a sober living home is a residential facility for persons who are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction that do not offer services that require a state license, such as medical services or counseling services. The code also introduces a new definition for integral facility. Um, an integral facility is generally two or

more group homes that have integrated components of one operation and may be considered one facility under the state license. For example, an integral facility may be located on two single family homes and they may be managed by the same company, use the same transportation and residents in both home in both homes may engage in activities together. The amendment also includes some modifications to the definition of boarding house um which were proposed by the city attorney's office and um code enforcement to facilitate code enforcement actions taken toward boarding houses. The proposed zoning code amendment also includes changes to the permitted and prohibited uses of all the zoning districts in the city zoning code that allow residential uses. And so the table on the screen, this is a list of all the different um zoning districts and references to the sections for permitted and prohibited uses. And in attachment two to your staff report today, there was a redline version of all the proposed changes to each zoning district. But for this presentation, I'm just going to um provide the example of the R1 zone. Um but basically the same changes are made to each zoning district. Uh residential care facilities is already listed as a permitted use in the zone. And so zon the zoning code amendment propo uh proposes to replace the term um with group home including residential care facilities. As I mentioned group home is a more general term. The code amendment also includes a change to the title of chapter 5.44 which will be um in that future ordinance to the city council which will be changed to group homes. Uh similarly we're making the same change making changes to the prohibited use of each section. Um again with the example of the R1 zoning district we're adding boarding house and interroll facilities to the prohibited uses. Um currently boarding houses are included in the definition of transitional

lodging which is prohibited um in the districts. But this amendment will more directly prohibit boarding houses which will make it easier for the public to find in the zoning code and facilitate communications for code enforcement. Um and as I mentioned also integral facilities would be prohibited. Um you may have noticed that I did leave a copy of a revised resolution on the dis for you today. Uh the only change was the removal of a recital that was related to the future um title 5 code amendment which was accidentally included. Um staff is recommending the planning commission adopt this revised draft resolution recommending city council approval of the zoning code amendment. And I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have on this. Thank you.

Thank you. Vice chair, do you have any questions, comments? Commissioner Fuentes, thank you. So, did I did I read that a sober living home would be 650 ft apart from each other? So, in the future ordinance that will go to the city council, um we may have buffers included with it. Are there currently homes that are closer than that? Um, I don't know if we have any legal sober living homes in the city.

Okay. But the the focus of the conversation here, if I'm not mistaken, is on the zoning aspect of it and the those types of things are in the municipal code. Is that correct? Yes. Correct. Okay. Okay. So it's outside the purview of the commission that goes to the city council. Correct. Yeah. So that will be a part of title five that will go to the city. I'm just educating myself.

I understand. Just just checking to make sure I understood it. So I know what question ask. So, with regards to boarding homes, does this new I don't know if it's something that we're doing tonight or it's something that's going to the city council, but will it help regulate boarding homes in the future? Because supposedly they're not allowed, but I do live across the street from one. So, a boarding house is um so there's residential care facilities and these group homes that we're talking about and those are for people who are disabled and so those are going through this permitting process. If it is a boarding house where they're just renting out a bunch of rooms um under the definition of this requirement, those are prohibited and they have always been prohibited but we had them kind of hidden in another definition. And so this will make it just clearer in our code that it is directly um prohibited in our code. So just clarify

if I want to be if I want to become a boarding house, I can look it up. Oh, I can't. But what about those who are currently boarding houses? They're not going to go back and look and see, oh, I've been doing something wrong. How do we regulate boarding homes? So code code enforcement will under either ordinance will um regulate them. Excuse me. And And they're currently regulating them. Yeah. Yes. Well, maybe I need to make another phone call. Oh, I I I have

All right. Thank you, Commissioner Vwok. Commissioner Leen. All right. My question I I when I jumped in, I answered my own question earlier or you answered my question, preempted me. Thank you so much. Um here do any members of the commission? Sorry, apologize. Have we received Did we do this already? I have not received any requests. Thank you. I didn't think so. Um I'll now close the public hearing. And do we have a motion to consider approving the item as recommended by staff? I'll move it.

I'll second. Thank you. And the motion passes unanimously. All right. Now is the time for the director's comments. Uh I have no comments this evening. All right. Mr. City Attorney, any comments? Uh nothing further from me. All right. Commissioner Fuentes, closing comments. Thanks to staff for all the great presentations tonight.

Commissioner Luton. I'm really impressed with the quality of the presentations that the city staff always brings to us. You do a lot of hard work and a lot of detail work and I appreciate the level of detail that everybody puts into what you present to us and your work is much appreciated. Thank you,

Vice Chair. I'll echo the comments of my colleagues regarding staff but also too I believe this Sunday is Mother's Day and um tomorrow unfortunately is the anniversary when I lost my own uh mother at 92 u but however for all the mothers uh out there enjoy the day tomorrow and and for those of us who are not mothers make sure that they do. Commissioner Vwok.

Thank you, Chair. So, I have a few comments. I just wanted to share that I was extremely disappointed at our last meeting due to the inconsistencies and misinformation that was shared through the report and the presentation by staff. At best, it was sloppy. Being extremely businessfriendly advocate myself, we need to make it a priority to treat all applicants equally. And moving forward, I'd like to request that we could agendaize a presentation from code enforcement to understand how use permits and enforcement really align to move forward. Thank you.

All right. Thank you everyone. I would like to say I enjoyed all the questions from the commission to the folks this evening. I thought that was a great discussion. Thank you very much. Thank you to the staff for the presentations. They were very and the consultant. Excuse me. I don't want to forget him. I know he's not here, but it's on tape. Um, so thank you very much for that. I especially want to uh thank the staff this evening for fixing the monitors. My neck thanks you as well so we don't have to turn around and stare at the screen. This was wonderful. Um, I do um want to send condolences for the gentleman that was uh hit by the ebike and um Mr. Ashman and I think that the ebikes are challenging and I know that we are working with the city is working with the sheriff's department um continually and constantly on this issue and it's a I see it in Irvine I see it everywhere and it is a challenge and so I'm hoping that through education and you know in this case family is going to be disrupted potentially one has been actually two are now um from this standpoint and that we'll be able to get to a resolution to where we have our streets that are safe and I'm not driving my kids to school and seeing ebikes doing wheelies down the street crossing lanes of traffic. Um that's scary for everybody involved and there's real consequences to this. So I urge parents to be responsible for your children, train them well and on the safety aspect of it for their benefit, your benefit and for the communities. And with that, our meeting is adjourned and our next regular meeting is scheduled for June 4th in 2026.