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Lake Forest council approves concept plan to renovate Kavanaugh Park, councilors stress safety and phasing
Summary
The Lake Forest City Council approved a concept plan to rework Kavanaugh Park—removing a berm, adding a larger playground, fitness paths and lighting—with an estimated construction cost of about $10.8 million and a phased approach to avoid conflicts with a future I‑5 on‑ramp project.
Lake Forest — The city council on Feb. 3 approved a concept plan to overhaul Kavanaugh Park, a 7.5‑acre linear site adjacent to the I‑5 freeway, directing staff to use the plan to proceed to final design.
City Manager Sean McGovern introduced the item and Deputy City Manager (speaker identified in the staff presentation) described longstanding security problems at the site — hiding spots behind a berm, repeated graffiti and vandalism — and said community outreach in 2023 and late 2025 showed residents favor removing those hiding places and adding amenities to increase daytime use and visibility. "Safety was the number one priority," the deputy city manager said during the presentation.
Brian Avalos, representing the plan’s developer and design team, said outreach beginning Sept. 6, 2025, produced consistent priorities: relocate and enlarge playground areas for ages 2–5 and 5–12, provide continuous exercise paths, restore a half‑court basketball area and distribute small fitness stations along the trail. Avalos told the council staff that the existing berm accounts for a large share of "nonfunctional turf" and that removing it would increase usable park area dramatically.
Staff presented a probable construction estimate of about $10,800,000 and proposed a phased implementation. Phase 1 — planned to occur before the regional I‑5 on‑ramp project begins — would include grading the big hill, installing a new playground and rebuilding the basketball court; staff estimated that phase at roughly $7,000,000. The presentation emphasized there was no financial commitment tonight and that a future contract for final design would return to the council for appropriation decisions.
Public commenters raised safety and cost questions. Resident Andrew O'Connor urged the council to hold off until the final design of the I‑5 project is certain and questioned the project’s proximity to a busy street and the discipline of spending. Other residents and neighborhood advocates supported the concept, arguing the area has been neglected and that better amenities would benefit children and encourage stewardship.
Council members asked about access points, lighting types, whether the I‑5 alternatives materially change impacts to the park, and the definition used to characterize "nonfunctional turf." Staff said the portion of the park affected by the I‑5 project is the same under the evaluated alternatives and that the concept can proceed while preserving areas that will be replaced if necessary.
Council member Yu moved to advance the concept plan; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Staff will procure a final design consultant and return later this spring with a contract and funding requests. The council’s approval on Feb. 3 authorizes staff to use the concept as direction for final design work but does not itself appropriate construction funds.
The next procedural step is returning to the council with the final design consultant contract and, if requested, a funding plan for construction.
