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Planning commission hears $36 million capital improvement program update; 36 projects complete
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission that Lake Forest—s 2023-25 capital improvement program includes 70 projects totaling $36 million; 36 projects are complete and 16 are under construction, staff said.
Lake Forest City staff told the Planning Commission on Sept. 4 that the city—s 2023-25 capital improvement program (CIP) comprises 70 projects with a total budget of $36,000,000, and that 36 projects have been completed to date.
Naz Mokaram, the city—s CIP manager, briefed commissioners on projects finished this fiscal year, including a traffic signal synchronization program, conference-room audiovisual upgrades across the Civic Center campus, multiple park improvements and the replacement of synthetic turf at Lake Forest Sports Park. Mokaram said, "In summary, 36 CIP projects were completed, for about $20,000,000 investment within the community." He added that 16 projects are under construction, five are in preconstruction, nine are in design and four are in predesign.
Why it matters: the CIP funds street, park and public-space upgrades that affect traffic flow, recreation access and long-term maintenance costs. Commission members used the presentation to probe pedestrian and bicycle safety, wildfire vegetation management and construction impacts.
Key details from the presentation - Completed and opened: traffic-signal synchronization program; conference-room AV upgrades; multiple park projects including Pittsburg Park shade-structure renovation and conversion/restriping of courts at Foothill Ranch, Baker Ranch and Borrego Parks to accommodate pickleball. - Lake Forest Sports Park: full replacement of synthetic turf after nearly 12 years of use; new polyethylene turf with recycled rubber infill and regraded base, now open for summer use. - Projects substantially complete or under construction: zone D residential streets asphalt repairs (including full-width resurfacing of Kenyatta Road), Baker Ranch Community Park turf replacement, El Toro irrigation conservation (awaiting grant reimbursement), intersection improvements at Rockville/Los Olisos and Geronimo/Rancho Lake Forest (striping and crack sealing planned), and Trabucco widening (potholing complete; contractor mobilizing). - Preconstruction/design: four bundled projects on El Toro Road from Geronimo to Tribuco (awarded by council and moving to construction), an El Toro Ballpark sand-volleyball-to-pickleball conversion to be advertised, four traffic-improvement projects and four additional park projects in design, and a protected permissive-left-turn project on hold pending completion of an alternate signal-safety plan.
Commission response and context Commissioners thanked staff for the quarterly updates and raised several implementation questions. One commissioner asked that staff consider pedestrian and bicyclist safety along El Toro Road, noting narrow sidewalks and a bridge pinch point; Mokaram said the city is incorporating green bike-lane paint and considering width increases where infrastructure allows. Another commissioner asked about recent brush-fire prevention work in Normandale Open Space; Mokaram said staff replaced some plantings with more fire-resistant landscape, extended perimeter fencing and removed unstable informal trails and jumps in that area to reduce risk.
Staff did not seek a formal action from the commission during the presentation. Mokaram closed by asking commissioners to direct any follow-up questions to his office and noting that staff will report back in the next quarterly update.
