Lake Forest OKs Annexation Bid

Over vociferous objections from residents of two neighboring communities, the Lake Forest City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to proceed with plans to annex a shopping center in an unincorporated area north of town.

The council now will seek permission from the Local Agency Formation Commission, a county governmental body that oversees annexations and incorporations, to annex Foothill Ranch Towne Centre, a 1.2-million-square-foot mall with annual sales tax revenue of about $2 million.

Said Mayor Peter Herzog, “The need is to better the community as a whole.”

But about 50 very vocal residents of nearby Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills attended the council session to protest that the annexation would strike a fatal blow to their campaign to band together and form a new city.

“You are taking away our ability to vote on incorporation,” said Foothill Ranch resident Amy Shih.

Community leaders in Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills have been circulating petitions since June to collect the 2,000 signatures they need to apply for incorporation. They hope to present their application to LAFCO this fall, said Shih, petition coordinator for Foothill Ranch.

She and other civic leaders say they want to preserve the small-town atmosphere of the two communities, which together have about 20,000 residents.

Cityhood advocates say revenue from the shopping center would be essential to the new city to pay for police, parks, streets and other services.

Helen Ward, a member of Cityhood Now, the Foothill Ranch incorporation committee, accused Lake Forest officials Tuesday of “land-grabbing for money.”

“They know that the people do not support any annexation by Lake Forest,” she said.

When Lake Forest became a city in 1991, LAFCO included Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills within the city’s sphere of influence.

Robert C. Dunek, Lake Forest city manager, said annexation of the shopping center, which comprises 1,502 acres of retail and commercial space, is within the city’s long-term growth plan.

If the city completes annexation of the shopping center, it would share the sales tax revenue with the county. Under the proposal passed Tuesday, part of the city’s portion of the money would be used to provide Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills with some services, such as street signal maintenance, public park maintenance and street sweeping, Dunek said.

Leaders of the two communities said they are concerned, though, about loss of local control.

Said Sharon Hawkins, vice president of the Foothill Ranch Civic Council: “Just because we’re in their sphere of influence doesn’t mean we have to be a part of the city. We would like Lake Forest to back off.”