LAGUNA HILLS : Council OKs Designs for Rapid Falls Park

The City Council took a major step last week to create the first city-owned sports fields in Laguna Hills by approving designs for Rapid Falls Park.

The 8.8-acre parcel, one of only two undeveloped parks owned by the city, will have two Little League-size baseball fields with outfields that convert into soccer fields, one of which will be regulation size, Parks and Recreation Director David Lewis said.

Situated along the south side of Rapid Falls Road just west of Cabot Road, the park also will include a basketball half-court, a tot play area, walkways, group picnic facilities, a storage building, restrooms and possibly a concession stand.

Final designs will be complete in upcoming weeks, Lewis said, and the projected cost is $1.1 million.

While some design specifics have not been decided, the council last Tuesday determined the direction of the park’s development. Three options were offered by city staff, including a passive park with an equestrian trail, a full-service athletic park with three baseball fields and lighting, or a compromise design with aspects of both.

Lewis said the selection of the third option, which keeps picnic areas but reduces the number of fields, would improve the city’s inadequate recreation facilities while heeding the concerns of neighbors near the untouched green space.

“We were trying to balance the needs of the community as a whole, in particular the need for youth athletic fields, and the needs of the local neighborhood,” Lewis said.

Measures taken to soften the impact on neighbors included leaving athletic field lighting out of the design, not adding parking along Rapid Falls Road, and a commitment to use landscaping to shield noise and visual impacts, Lewis said.

Residents of the surrounding Nellie Gail Ranch have closely monitored plans for the park, and the homeowners’ association offered a fourth option for park development.

That plan, which included turning over a nearby three-acre parcel to extend the park in exchange for more design control, was not pursued because of the costs of developing the extra land.