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Commission recommends general-plan update to match county’s arterial-highway amendment for El Toro Road
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended that the City Council adopt a general plan amendment revising two segments of El Toro Road from major arterial to primary arterial to conform with Orange County’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways; commissioners noted the county-led amendment followed traffic forecasts through 2050.
The Lake Forest Planning Commission on June 5 voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of a General Plan Amendment that modifies the city’s mobility network figure to reflect changes adopted by the Orange County Master Plan of Arterial Highways for two segments of El Toro Road.
Jennifer Mansour, staff planner, told commissioners the county amended the countywide arterial plan after reviewing traffic forecasts that did not warrant widening certain segments of El Toro Road through 2050. The requested change would reclassify two Lake Forest segments from “major arterial” to “primary arterial,” which staff said aligns with the road’s built configuration as a four- to five‑lane divided highway.
Why it matters: OCTA approved the county’s amendment but conditioned it on affected cities updating their general plans to reflect the change. The planning commission’s role was advisory: it reviews the proposed General Plan Amendment and makes a recommendation to the City Council.
Outcome: The commission recommended adoption of the draft resolution updating figure M-1 (the city’s mobility network map) to show the revised classifications. There were no public comments on the item. One commissioner asked how frequently such county-wide reviews occur; staff replied that jurisdictions can propose amendments as needed and that this particular amendment originated with the County of Orange based on county analysis.
What’s next: The Planning Commission forwarded its recommendation to the City Council, which must formally adopt the General Plan Amendment to finalize the change.
