The Lake Forest City Planning Commission on July approved a tentative parcel map that would subdivide the 17-acre Spectrum Center Business Park into four parcels and allow up to 80 commercial condominium units to be created within existing buildings.

Commission staff said approval of the tentative map would allow tenant spaces within the existing 16 buildings (about 228,000 square feet) to be made condominium units through a separate process administered by the California Department of Real Estate. Ron Santos, who presented the staff report, said no new construction or site alterations are proposed and that the parcels would share existing driveways and parking through recorded reciprocal access and parking agreements.

Staff recommended approval based on findings required by the State Subdivision Map Act and Title 7 of the city’s municipal code, and listed conditions of approval that include dedications to the city for street and public utility purposes along Bay Parkway, submittal of CC&Rs for city review, and irrevocable reciprocal parking and access easements across the four parcels.

Applicant Matt Haugen, representing the current owner, told commissioners the project renews an earlier application and offers small businesses an opportunity to own 2,500–3,500-square-foot commercial condominium units in a market where similar ownership options are limited. Haugen said some tenants will continue to occupy multiple adjacent suites, but the map establishes a maximum of 80 condominium units for the subdivision.

Commissioners asked about shared parking and whether the map would change parking obligations. Ron Santos and Director Gail Ackerman responded that the tentative parcel map would not change the existing shared-parking arrangement; parking would remain common and the map does not designate exclusive stalls. Santos noted the municipal code’s shared-parking procedures have been revised in recent years to make the process easier for small businesses — for example, allowing photo documentation instead of an engineer-prepared parking study in many cases.

After public comment limited to the applicant, a commissioner moved to approve the item as recommended by staff and the motion passed unanimously.

The approval authorizes the tentative map only; final map approval by the city council and the separate condominium-unit conversion process handled by the California Department of Real Estate are additional steps before individual units could be sold or otherwise separately owned.