FAQ
What is a General Plan?
The state of California requires every city and county in California to adopt a General Plan, which is the local government’s long-term blueprint for the physical development of the City and any land outside its boundaries that bears relation to its planning. The General Plan represents the community’s view of its future and expresses the long-term growth and development goals. It addresses issues that impact the entire City, such as how land is used, where buildings are built, the locations of roads and parks, safety, noise, and more.
The General Plan contains the goals and policies upon which the City Council and Planning Commission will base their land use decisions. All City plans, zoning, and development must be consistent with the General Plan.
What is a Housing Element?
The Housing Element is a section of the City’s General Plan that addresses housing needs and conditions within Lake Forest. It identifies goals, policies and programs that the City uses to guide actions related to housing.
What is a Public Safety Element?
The Public Safety Element considers he short-and long-term risks of fatalities, injury, property damage, economic loss, and other harm due to natural and manmade hazards. The Public Safety Element addresses risks associated specifically with seismic and geological hazards, fire safety, flooding, hazardous waste and materials, emergency operations, noise, and climate change and resiliency planning.
What is included in this project?
This project includes an update of the City’s Housing and Public Safety Elements and preparation of the required environmental impact assessment documents which will demonstrate that these new elements are consistent with the direction set forth in the Lake Forest 2040 General Plan.
When will the Draft Housing Element be released for Public Review?
The City is currently preparing a draft Housing Element for public review. The City expects that the draft Housing Element will be released in late spring/early summer 2021. Lake Forest's Housing Element is due by October 15, 2021.
When is the Housing Element required to be completed by?
The State of California requires that the Lake Forest Housing Element be updated by October 15, 2021.
Why is the City Updating its Housing and Safety Elements?
State law requires the Housing Element be updated every eight years (in tracked planning period cycles) and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). For purposes of the Housing Element update, the State is organized into regions, with each region on a separate Housing Element cycle. The City of Lake Forest is within the Southern California Association of Governments (“SCAG”) Region. The next planning period cycle, the 6th Cycle, for the SCAG Region covers 2021-2029.
The purpose of this update to the Housing Element is to ensure consistency with the City’s General Plan and compliance with state statutes for certification by HCD before October 2021. The Housing Element must be updated to include City policies, strategies, and actions to facilitate the construction of new housing and preservation of existing housing to meet the needs of the population during the 6th Cycle period. The Housing Element must also address the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (“RHNA”) allocation. This requires the City to plan to accommodate the specified number of housing units for the specified income levels throughout the City. Although the City recently completed the City’s 2040 General Plan update, it did not include the update for of the Housing Element. This was because the General Plan preparation was initiated in 2018 and the RHNA had not been finalized.
In response to the wildfires that ravaged California in 2019, Senate Bill 99 (“SB 99”) requires that, upon the next revision of the Housing Element, the Safety Element shall be reviewed and updated as necessary to identify potential residential development in any hazard area identified in the Safety Element that does not have at least two emergency evacuation routes. The Safety Element can be prepared concurrent with the City’s Housing Element Update.
What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)?
The state of California is facing a housing shortage. As such, the State requires that every city and county help accommodate a portion of new housing growth. Because people often live and work in different places, housing needs are assessed at a regional level based on population trends and other factors to determine how much growth each local jurisdiction will need to accommodate. This is called the “Regional Housing Needs Assessment”—or RHNA for short. The RHNA quantifies the need for housing on a regional level, and then allocates a portion of new growth to each City.
Lake Forest’s RHNA allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period is 3,236. This means that Lake Forest is responsible for identifying areas of the City that can accommodate 3,236 new units. Lake Forest’s RHNA allocation is further divided into household income categoriest. The City of Lake Forest is NOT responsible for building new homes. However, Lake Forest must show that there is enough land zoned for housing to accommodate our allocated share (our RHNA) of new homes. Furthermore, a special focus is placed on planning for affordable housing. The Housing Element will identify those specific locations where the City's RHNA can be accommodated, along with goals, policies, and actions to further the City's housing priorities.
How can I get involved?
We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities to participate, including virtual workshops, surveys, and public hearings. As the project progresses, the City will continue to identify opportunities for engagement either online or in-person. However, due to COVID-19, we expect the majority of our initial interactions with the public to take place using virtual platforms. You can register your email address for project updates using the “Contact Us” page at the top of this website.
What are the dates for the public comment period?
The public is welcome to provide general feedback and comments regarding the City's ongoing Housing Element Update at any time by emailing housingelement@lakeforestca.gov, by calling 949-461-3479, or delivering written comments to the City of Lake Forest Planning Division, 100 Civic Center Drive, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Additional structured opportunities for public comments on the draft Housing Element will be provided and advertised once the draft Housing Element is prepared and released for public review in late spring/early summer 2021.
Why should I get involved?
The City of Lake Forest is committed to involving the community in the planning process. This focused update to the Housing and Public Safety Elements of the Lake Forest General Plan provide an opportunity for community members to discuss and weigh-in on key aspects of the City’s future. This update to the Housing Element and Safety Element provides residents, businesses owners and employees, and other interested parties the opportunity to help guide the future of the community. We believe that your input is vital to producing updated Elements that will reflect the community's vision regarding housing and public safety.
How will my feedback be used?
Public feedback will be considered throughout the process. Public input from every engagement opportunity will be documented by City staff and decision-makers to ensure a full understanding of public sentiment when drafting goals and policies for the Housing and Safety Elements.
How can I stay informed?
Visit the Get Involved page to view the dates of upcoming meetings and community events. If you wish to be added to the City’s mailing list to receive project updates and invitations to community events, use the contact form and request to be added to the mailing list.
