Below are the details of the planned new developments:
- 700 Apartments to be located on the former El Toro Sand/Gravel Mining Company near the 241 and Rancho/Portola Parkway.
- 151 Condominiums located and 75 single-family "motor-court" located at the auto dealership off of Portola Parkway.
As noted above, these new developments are in addition to the 930 homes scheduled to be built in Portola Hills and the 2379 homes scheduled to be built off of Bake/Alton.
Being in real estate, new developments are generally good for property values and I know the small businesses located in the area could use more foot traffic. However, being a resident of the this area, I must say the amount of traffic does concern me.
At a recent association meeting the City of Lake Forest traffic engineers noted that the traffic at the intersection of Bake and Portola is rated as an F, yes F as in Fail. With the opening of Alton Parkway, the they noted the traffic will only be improved to a E level. (Umm, if I go back to my school days, I guess an E is really a F+)
With the addition of the proposed new developments, this would add approximately 9200 more cars on the roadways. This is where the concern lies. Driving down Portola/Rancho Santa Margarita is already pretty tight between Marguerite and Alton, adding approximately 10 more driving trips per day is scary and if the city knows the traffic can not be improved, why make it worse?
Though many of these developments have already been approved, if you have concerns you can voice them along with your questions at the Lake Forest Council Meetings or simply go to Ask Lake Forest and send a quick note.
