LAKE FOREST : Public Forums Set on General Plan

City officials will meet with the public Wednesday to discuss the city’s General Plan, a state-required document that provides a blueprint for future development.

The meeting, the first of seven public forums, will take place at 7 p.m. in Building 600 at El Toro High School, at Ridge Route Drive and Toledo Way.

“We’re trying to get from people what they feel is important for the community,” said Gayle Ackerman, city senior planner.

The first meeting will be educational, with Ackerman and other city staff explaining the nature of a general plan.

All new cities must complete a general plan within 30 days of incorporation.

Subsequent public forums will be held in several sections of the city to get comment from the entire city, Ackerman said.

“The next meetings will be more exciting,” she said. “We’ll be hearing from all different areas of the community. We find that issues change from area to area.”

These sessions will be more like workshops than public meetings, Ackerman said. Those attending will be broken into smaller groups to work on specific issues.

The information will be used to help set the direction of the General Plan. The community will help set priorities for issues like how to develop neighborhood and community parks.

However, development agreements with the county that took place before incorporation cannot be changed by the General Plan.

Ackerman said the next set of meetings will take place in September.

The city is also currently conducting a telephone survey of Lake Forest residents regarding General Plan issues.

For information about the General Plan process or meetings, call (714) 707-5583.