[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6613647,"mediaKeyId","2869835-5afaf96159d9e8b89a7ec43921650303","parentId",2869835,"title","Planning Commission backs updates to noise policies, municipal code and CEQA thresholds","audioSeconds",1913,"startMs",2607985,"endMs",4521735,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869835-5afaf96159d9e8b89a7ec43921650303&start=2607&end=4521","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869835-5afaf96159d9e8b89a7ec43921650303/thumbnail_2607985.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6613647/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Planning-Commission-backs-updates-to-noise-policies-municipal-code-and-CEQA-thresholds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613647-0127bfb8f36ca4dfeea30cf1eaef6f7a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191777&Signature=nggjuj8G7cTjD9Et7KCHmpVO8zSvlOHxHWXARBYpu-4hG9MaxOnQPt3MQ2ca8-YdT~0zXj5PlHO1waydEeJZ-Mi3dVx-OrXRNrVCx~ycMXZHT4LZxiZHcB3eFvONZ~AUFenWP7MBmhiHlF0uMaPPvVKxO01amyXJd4qTJot3OpowlpDUpTSx0-iiJu5wVUmbS01vw9MGEe5NnuHpRY5W-qUbImuTnYNYrue-46I8V2EdMc6UJ5xHXfDgWeMEG1XkJD62DI~Bj4y7TBbF6yxFqaHspiEkBSiNnpfR--GL~tDJFZfFGFjexhBDPxAIgyO-UoF6I-Vv6G95gD60IdAgQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-04T01:28:44Z","article","The Lake Forest City Planning Commission on April 3 voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of a package of updates to the city’s noise policies and implementing regulations. The package includes amendments to the general plan’s public safety element, revisions to municipal code chapter 11.16 (noise), and changes to the city’s local CEQA significance thresholds guide.

Planning staff said the revisions respond to the 2020 general plan update, which added mixed-use designations and exposed gaps in existing noise regulations. The amendments establish exterior noise limits (including for mixed-use development), adopt a 15-minute averaging standard and a maximum limit for intermittent sounds, add construction noise and vibration thresholds, and replace the unused noise variance board with a permit-to-exceed process administered by the city manager.

“Recognizing that our current noise ordinance standards do not address mixed use development, the updated general plan safety element included actions … to update municipal code chapter 11.16,” Planning staff Ron Santos said during the presentation. Santos said the project included a public tribal consultation period, a review of recent legal decisions on construction noise, and collaboration with consultant Rincon Consultants.

Rincon noise specialist Bill Vosti joined the discussion and explained how municipal noise standards differ from land-use compatibility measures. “There’s kind of 2 part, 2 standards here,” Vosti said. “The land use compatibility standards are a little bit higher because transportation noise is just you want to build closer to these major roadways. ... Whereas when you’re talking about neighbor-to-neighbor noise, that tends to be something that is considered more of a nuisance at a lower level.”

Commissioners asked about how the ordinance would apply to animals and barking dogs, enforcement procedures and whether the new limits impose stricter standards. Staff and the code enforcement supervisor noted that animal-related nuisances are handled under the city’s animal and property-maintenance codes (barking dogs are specifically addressed in chapter 10.32 and are primarily enforced by the Orange County Animal Care Agency). Staff said noise meters can be deployed to record continuous levels for enforcement investigations and that construction vibration thresholds will typically be addressed through project-specific conditions and CEQA mitigation when appropriate.

Santos said the CEQA thresholds guide was revised to remove provisions inconsistent with state law — specifically the court rulings that limit CEQA’s role to evaluating a project’s impacts on the environment rather than pre-existing conditions affecting a project — and to add clearer mitigation measures that go beyond existing code requirements. The guide also adds potential mitigation measures and deletes vague or duplicative items.

Commissioners expressed that the proposed amendments fill gaps in the city’s regulations, particularly by adding construction noise and vibration standards that the city previously lacked. The commission voted to recommend approval of three separate resolutions: one for the general plan amendment, one for the municipal-code amendments, and one for the CEQA thresholds guide changes. The motion passed unanimously.

The commission directed staff to include the new standards and mitigation measures in city practice and noted that developers would typically carry out required monitoring (for example, vibration studies) as a condition of approval; the city may also procure monitoring for enforcement cases involving existing operations. The amendments will be forwarded to the City Council for final adoption.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Commission Meeting April 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Lake Forest Planning Commission unanimously recommended City Council approval of amendments to the general plan public safety element, municipal code chapter 11.16 (noise), and the city's CEQA thresholds guide to add mixed-use noise standards, construction noise and vibration limits, and to incorporate the local hazard mitigation plan.","taxTitle","Lake Forest City, Orange County, California","taxId",4518,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6613652,"Lake Forest Planning Commission continues Hypnotique Wellness Center use-permit after applicant agrees to work with staff",2336,226980,2563780,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869835-5afaf96159d9e8b89a7ec43921650303&start=226&end=2563","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869835-5afaf96159d9e8b89a7ec43921650303/thumbnail_226980.jpg","/articles/6613652/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Lake-Forest-Planning-Commission-continues-Hypnotique-Wellness-Center-use-permit-after-applicant-agrees-to-work-with-staff","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613652-207137f8db2b56e12636567d1a98d237/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191777&Signature=TIhYXmdPUlCRhRac2relVu9DBEgYTWXO~rjet7IArzRAcXnS3R9-XfKEi0h95MKqUygJA09toAn0zfKAfwmkbFNg8JPKp2EamHe-R1vm4fq9aGvIBpfbRujcr-Nw-brZq6f8u0VshWADtdaf6aRDV-gx9r12qfjjD9WoShoF9y9A5SCHM4I9HvF~qXO8flUyJSl6nZ4jn3b48gHjqx29PBfCchSILPWuna6aEezxFvrJd-N2JmYLdF5PHzIfiPx1vOCondlK1-fsYono0hAkWBBfWvHjDvIgvvrben~Fq~LoI3L-dLgqX~iTT89N2H6Mprw4W807A6svetIteKBU3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lake Forest City Planning Commission on April 3 continued a public hearing on a conditional use permit for Hypnotique Wellness Center, allowing the applicant time to work with city staff on possible voluntary restrictions and clarifications.

The applicant, Brian McMillan, asked the commission to recognize his business as a “wellness center” rather than a conventional massage establishment and said the operation would initially be small — limited to himself, his wife and an uncle — with no massage tables and a closing time of 6 p.m. “We are not a massage establishment as you think we are. It's a wellness center,” McMillan said at the podium.

City planning staff cited the municipal code definition for massage, which covers “any method of pressure on or friction against or stroking, kneading, rubbing, tapping, pounding, etcetera of the human body,” and noted the definition includes work done with mechanical or electrical devices. Planning staff and the city attorney's office said that under the current Lake Forest municipal code the applicant's described services fall within the massage-establishment category and therefore require the conditional use permit and a massage license.

The commission discussed whether the code leaves room to differentiate services on a case-by-case basis and whether conditions could be crafted to limit certain activities. Planning staff said conditions may be imposed if they have a nexus to the use and are proportional; staff explained that applicants may also voluntarily propose restrictions for the commission's consideration. “If an applicant voluntarily says, hey, I'm going to be more restrictive than even what you, the commission, may place on me … we'd be entertaining that,” Planning staff said.

Commissioners and staff also reviewed enforcement and revocation procedures. Staff said revocation of a conditional use permit requires findings and a noticed public hearing and typically takes at least 60–90 days to process; staff noted a previous revocation matter had taken a longer, multi-step process.

After discussion, the commission voted to continue the public hearing to the regularly scheduled meeting on June 5, 2025, with the item to be re-noticed as a date-specific hearing. The commission directed staff to work with the applicant on possible amendments or voluntary conditions to the application so the item can return with clearer proposals for the commission to consider. The motion to continue passed unanimously.

Looking ahead, staff advised that if the applicant withdraws and amends the pending application, changes can be processed as an amendment to the existing application rather than a wholly new filing; staff also said a denial without prejudice could allow the applicant to reapply within the time limits set by code. The commission closed the public hearing for the evening and set a target of 60 days for follow-up work between staff and the applicant.

Clerical and procedural clarifications noted during the hearing included how the city classifies “massage” in the zoning code and that conditional use permits run with the land, meaning future tenants could exercise the same use rights unless the permit is conditioned more narrowly.

Commissioners and staff encouraged the applicant to work with planning staff to develop specific, voluntary limitations (for example, restrictions on massage tables or certain services) that the commission could consider as conditions of approval if the applicant chooses to pursue them. The public hearing was continued to June 5, 2025, and will be re-noticed.","The Lake Forest Planning Commission continued a public hearing on a conditional use permit for Hypnotique Wellness Center after the applicant and staff agreed to negotiate voluntary restrictions; the item was continued to the June 5 meeting and will be re-noticed.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning Commission backs updates to noise policies, municipal code and CEQA thresholds

Lake Forest Planning Commission continues Hypnotique Wellness Center use-permit after applicant agrees to work with staff