LAKE FOREST : Yard Condemnation Draws Residents’ Ire

A group of homeowners has vowed to fight a decision by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to condemn pieces of their back yards for use in a South County street-widening project.

Of the more than 60 parcels involved in the condemnation near Lake Forest Drive and Rockfield Boulevard, only 15 of the lots are residential property, officials said. Four of those homeowners appeared before the board Tuesday to voice their protests.

“We don’t want to stop progress,” homeowner Lou Shubin said after the board vote, “but we’re not going to sign our property over to the county.”

Shubin and others said the project would slice away valuable buffers from their properties and subject their homes to increased noise levels from nearby traffic.

In one instance, area resident Ann Hice said, the county plans to take 107 square feet of her yard, placing her home about 2 1/2 feet from a wall built to muffle area traffic noise. As a result, Hice said her family may have to relocate a bedroom away from the sound wall, a project that could cost $30,000. Hice said she has been offered $2,300 for the land.

“That wall is just too close for comfort,” Hice said.

The residents did not say they were considering a legal challenge to the county action but indicated that they would not allow their properties to be taken until their concerns were sufficiently addressed.

County officials said the properties are needed to construct additional traffic lanes on Lake Forest and Rockfield and a right-turn lane on Rockfield.

Kenneth R. Smith, the county’s transportation director, said lanes would go far to reduce congestion at the intersection and along the two streets.

“The intent of the project is to bring the area up to a higher level of service,” Smith told the supervisors. “There is a need to acquire property.”

Smith said the county has attempted to limit property acquisitions by reducing the widths of sidewalks. Noise testing has been done in the area, and only minimal increases in decibel levels have been projected.

Throughout the process, affected homeowners have also expressed concern that their property losses could eventually leave them out of compliance with certain building codes. Since the codes are tied to specific lot sizes, the homeowners said they could have to seek new approvals for construction in the event their homes were damaged by fires or earthquakes.

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez asked that those code-related concerns be resolved before action is taken on their properties.

Smith said negotiations would continue with property owners in an attempt to resolve current differences.