Planning Commission approves IMI industrial building in Foothill Ranch

The Lake Forest City Planning Commission on Jan. 9, 2025, voted to approve a site development permit for IMI, a British industrial valve manufacturer, to build a new light-industrial facility in the Foothill Ranch area.

Staff described the project as a single industrial building with a 35-foot manufacturing portion and a 20-foot office portion, a single rear loading dock, a 14-square-foot monument sign near the access drive and three wall signs. The project site lies north of Portola Parkway near Glen Ranch Road in Foothill Ranch. Staff reported a proposed floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.34:1 and concluded the project complies with applicable Foothill Ranch planned community provisions and city standards for height, setbacks, screening, landscaping and signage. The city determined the project qualifies for a Class 32 categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as infill development.

The applicant, Kevin McCown, regional president for IMI, introduced the company and said the project is intended to modernize facilities and serve as the company's regional headquarters. "We're excited about the next chapter and excited to have found the property in Foothill Ranch," McCown said. Nick Aramberry, principal and project architect with LPA, said the building will be all-electric, energy efficient and include features to support employee wellness, including a large employee patio. "We're really excited about the project," Aramberry said.

A representative for the city's environmental subconsultant, Jackie Tran of CHCS Planning and Environmental, summarized one public comment that requested a fuller environmental review. Tran said the comment raised three concerns: whether the site is substantially surrounded by urban uses, potential habitat for threatened species adjacent to the site, and traffic impacts. Tran told the commission that CEQA Guidelines section 15332 does not require a site be entirely surrounded by urban uses, only substantially surrounded, and that the site is bordered by urban industrial uses on three sides. She said the biological assessment found suitable habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher is present along the park on the south side of the project but not within the project site itself, and that the project must comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and California Fish and Wildlife Code. On traffic, Tran said the commute trip reduction (CTR) program was analyzed as a project design feature by the traffic consultant (LSA) and that LSA concluded the project's vehicle miles traveled (VMT) impacts would be less than significant, so no mitigation was required.

Commissioners who spoke praised the thoroughness of the staff report and consultant analyses. One commissioner asked whether the commission should act that night before the item goes to the city council; the commission voted to approve staff's recommendation. The motion to approve passed (motion seconded) and the chair closed the public hearing.

The approval authorizes the project to proceed through remaining plan-check and permitting steps; construction timing and tax revenue estimates were not specified in the staff report. Staff noted a correction in the CEQA exemption memo concerning a construction start date, which should have read February 2020.

Votes at a glance: Planning Commission moved and seconded approval of staff recommendation; the motion passed unanimously (commissioners voting yes: 4; abstentions: 1 — Commissioner Barajas). The item will proceed to the City Council as the next step in the entitlement process.