Rezoning Vote Upsets County Homeowners
Wrapping up the annexation of 193 acres formerly in an unincorporated county area, the City Council has rezoned a chunk of the land for commercial use and left the rest as open space.
Over the objections of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills residents trying to incorporate their communities, the council approved converting about 16 acres of land along Portola Parkway from open space to commercial zoning.
The remainder of the newly annexed area will remain undeveloped, except for property occupied by Saddleback Valley Community Church.
Residents in Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills, working on a joint incorporation drive, said the annexation is poaching on their future city. Reacting to last week’s vote, Portola Hills resident Angela Zarski said, “As homeowners, we have no vote on this. . . . This is why we need to become a city.”
Lake Forest officials said they acted to leave the bulk of land undeveloped because the county had expressed interest in rezoning a large portion of it for commercial use.
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