[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6643924,"mediaKeyId","2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b","parentId",2531513,"title","Planning Commission elects new chair and vice chair for 2025","audioSeconds",240,"startMs",3880000,"endMs",4120000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b&start=3880&end=4120","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b/thumbnail_3880000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6643924/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Planning-Commission-elects-new-chair-and-vice-chair-for-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643924-b8c15c9c8c069b720cfb5596faa918e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434860&Signature=o0mwjtZF4MZf0OKBoiVR6Gt6WroIdvb0PiqP7FB9e0dleqDH1QmGilpafAIfp4IbJv2fvHH6B8sYUh8tuG7NaW1vV3jD2v0E88lYux29kHPTeN9asFtHb0a9V7X9MG3NQyReUHe63M7JcnanmHRB8SefMllFLCVUxV5j~sY6bozBZRUfGdfG0o6yTADP9I1WdwAiqwGoLeIH8-DZQPwF-6QDKJoCf8fydNxCDR839gKrAoYLl3shFLkKO6~CUurQVvoesaUNoJV-jpoCkaLYloj6ewBliaZ1MmcVUMFB~aUMUqvujzpCesYJGvtotkJq5M~XZ3egmf6phXdz2aYHwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lake Forest, CA","date","2025-03-10T18:50:30.127Z","article","The Lake Forest Planning Commission reorganized its officers at the March 6 meeting, electing Vice Chair Levin as the 2025 chair and Commissioner Michael Stannard as vice chair.

The outgoing chair offered brief remarks reflecting on the past year's work, praising staff for a zoning-code update that staff said will simplify processes for residents and highlighting recent retail and recreational uses approved by the commission in 2024, including Pickleball Haven, ADV Baseball and the new Aldi grocery store. The outgoing chair said the commission should continue to pursue restaurants and businesses that reflect the community.

Nominations were opened and a motion to confirm Vice Chair Levin as chair passed unanimously. Commissioners then nominated and unanimously confirmed Commissioner Stannard as vice chair for 2025. The roll-call votes recorded all affirmative votes with Commissioner Grable absent.

Commissioners used the reorganization item to reiterate concerns about massage-establishment applications and to urge staff to pursue code revisions and clearer standards for sensitive uses. Staff and the city attorney said they will bring back resolutions and proposed code changes through the usual workshop and ordinance processes when appropriate.

The commission adjourned the meeting to April 2025 after completing the reorganization and other agenda items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lake Forest Planning Commission Meeting March 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners elected Vice Chair Levin as chair and Commissioner Stannard as vice chair for 2025; outgoing chair reflected on zoning code changes and business openings in 2024.","taxTitle","Lake Forest City, Orange County, California","taxId",4518,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6643929,"Commission denies massage-use permit for Bridger Road ' wellness center over proximity and compliance concerns",1188,2615000,3803000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b&start=2615&end=3803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b/thumbnail_2615000.jpg","/articles/6643929/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Commission-denies-massage-use-permit-for-Bridger-Road-wellness-center-over-proximity-and-compliance-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643929-db6981f54fd183cffb81910dca1de9b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434860&Signature=Wd6DhNwBPD4FKfe~uG1edhnAUEvboLw7FALprYK9Mg0sQMlbjlSPVDDh~XSaRWdTpctjOfnlZ44rkrPMd-QUmDofFcK3~LAncKky~aDBIFSX3eweVUyH4Dc0GZYjHBxO6pesuFKFqc4ugwWpstLF1jInyxe4xM0ET0p8uzCJMO4sN2c-EZn6hVIHT~Td7oKr-MslGM0RyO3VJgQ13WWnCJlAfyKXpC2M1Bh-xhVmIaU~firM4dcAkHwN6BviODnnqnnlqu3QrDmluJUId~8wvcz26BKaxlKyZr2Mpl4tLXBpS8nNVwXlKOkMtahZiV5PPYDU-90KaFB3m41Rk9IM-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning Commission denied a use permit request on March 6 to add massage services at Hypnotic Wellness Center (23811 Bridger Road, Suite 100), rejecting staff's recommendation and leaving the public hearing open for staff to return with a denial resolution and findings.

Staff described the application as a request to add massage services to an existing personal-care business that provides hypnotherapy and somatic therapy. Staff said the tenant space is approximately 1,046 square feet, includes three treatment rooms, a reception area, a restroom and a break room, and proposed hours of operation were 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Staff said a city massage-establishment license (issued annually) and individual California massage-therapy licenses would be required prior to operation and that the municipal code (chapter 5.07) governs inspections and sheriff's background checks.

Applicant Alexander Choi appeared and described the business as a hypnotherapy and somatic-therapy practice that uses some manual therapy tools and teaches clients to use therapeutic tools at home. \"I would like to keep it as hypnotic wellness as a wellness center,\" Choi said, adding the business is not intended to be \"a full massage place.\" He said his wife holds massage credentials and that staff planned to verify employee licenses.

Commissioners raised several concerns. One commissioner cited proximity to a nearby park, residences within 200 feet and businesses frequented by children (including a comic book store), saying the location was not appropriate for a massage license. Another commissioner noted tenant-improvement work at the suite had been done without permit and asked whether the violations had been resolved; staff responded that resolution would require either permitting the work or removing the unpermitted alterations. Commissioners also asked how the city verifies individual therapist licenses; staff said massage-establishment licenses are renewed annually and inspections or complaint responses can trigger license verification.

Chair Villach (name in roll call) moved to deny the use permit; after discussion a second was made and the motion to deny staff's recommendation carried unanimously with Commissioner Grable absent. After the denial vote, staff requested and the commission approved keeping the public hearing open so staff could return at the next meeting with a resolution memorializing the commission's denial findings; the roll call recorded that motion as unanimous with Commissioner Grable absent.

The record shows the commission weighed safety and proximity concerns and unresolved permitting issues over staff's recommendation for approval. Staff will return with written findings of denial at the next meeting.","After a continued hearing, the Planning Commission denied a use permit to add massage services at Hypnotic Wellness Center on Bridger Road, citing proximity to residences/park, questions about prior unpermitted tenant improvements and enforcement concerns.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6643934,"Planning commission revokes massage use permit at Lake Forest Marketplace after two OCSD undercover investigations",562,2025000,2587000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b&start=2025&end=2587","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b/thumbnail_2025000.jpg","/articles/6643934/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Planning-commission-revokes-massage-use-permit-at-Lake-Forest-Marketplace-after-two-OCSD-undercover-investigations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643934-940981d93ff09097f40cae0facec1bde/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434860&Signature=CCsWNVLKbob8k-28M0IQBff18KYmbUyEJulEPWSCz89AQE7amPQx~noIn~nLTtZ-y-IQmbrH311K9JcvjeTImgHdBgwPoBbgfBRvfDnEMDcnBTvIN5KMEci3KZXVIFSeMyu1XncR77CJbXEj~Ial4YtFWS3j758AVOCGHhpTb17CNVyFafpNf2RDp2iFNtYJsDG8ZaiwAHBLTquhOZ8~uz1C9EFuzkQDFbQoN6mABKHz3D-PYeW9tPu5MlnsCrrqt1mAprxhjU6woS906ZvETyFkCi7V-EYX~lckUsAV-wMnD2CBAvzj~k9IiqKBEBhc5UItXD2bzmWlGRtlZERxjQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lake Forest Planning Commission voted on March 6 to revoke a massage-establishment use permit connected with tenancy at the Lake Forest Marketplace after staff presented police reports and code-enforcement documentation showing illicit conduct.

Jennifer Mansour summarized staff findings and recommended revocation of the use permit (identified in staff materials as 02/2003) because of documented violations of the Lake Forest Municipal Code and state law. Mansour told commissioners an undercover Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) investigation at Oasis Relax in December 2022 concluded the technician's conduct constituted a violation of California Penal Code section 647(b) (prostitution). Mansour said the city notified the tenant that the conduct was disqualifying under city code and grounds for license suspension or denial.

Mansour said a subsequent tenant, operating as Ocean Pearl Spa, told staff it did not provide massage services but that staff viewed \"body scrubs\" as meeting the municipal definition of massage. OCSD conducted an undercover investigation at Ocean Pearl Spa in August 2024; Mansour said the investigation concluded the employee provided massage services and that OCSD found conduct constituting a 647(b) violation.

Mansour told the commission the staff report and draft resolution cite three criteria in the municipal code that support revocation: repeated violations of conditions of approval, documented illegal activity at the site and an intervening history of illicit activity that was not present when the use permit was originally issued. She noted the shopping center hosts businesses that draw children and teens and said staff found the illicit conduct \"objectionable and detrimental to these uses.\"

Special counsel Christina Talley advised the commission during the quasi-judicial hearing; the record included 12 attachments, including letters from the prior owner of Oasis Relax and from the property owner. The prior owner, identified in staff materials as Julene Nguyen, had previously been cited.

After staff testimony and a call for public comment (none was submitted on the record), the commission moved to revoke the use permit. The motion to adopt the staff resolution revoking the permit passed unanimously with Commissioner Grable absent. The clerk's roll call recorded the motion as passing without dissent.

Authorities cited in the staff report included the Lake Forest municipal requirements for massage establishments and California Penal Code section 647(b). The staff packet noted that denial or revocation of a massage-establishment license also affects permitted uses at the tenant space for a two-year period under the municipal code.

The commission's action revokes the use permit; staff advised that the administrative record and attachments will be retained as the basis for the revocation.","City staff recommended revocation of a long-standing massage establishment use permit after undercover Orange County Sheriff's Department investigations concluded illegal activity; the commission voted unanimously to revoke the permit.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6643937,"Planning staff reviews 2024 approvals, zoning code rewrite and 2025 industrial EIRs",283,216000,499000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b&start=216&end=499","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b/thumbnail_216000.jpg","/articles/6643937/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Planning-staff-reviews-2024-approvals-zoning-code-rewrite-and-2025-industrial-EIRs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643937-6686f3e51516975f4fd3e23e03e5a023/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434860&Signature=XXxJov1bXOQH~z78phvH9qL6tSAc9JBBsSaV6CD-iKCih7UKXceWSfMrvQm31BDgFWI-pol9STg5nhKaOni8DdoiST2PBVbEoCEfZgTCJg1nDlhOk1g~ARxuPtMSP6WWeduK4UrbRSpdKrNOeD56YF6H0iADpPpt1WI8YZhMPGbeXNxGCAMuBzN00sC0WClGLJH2wCN-f-tUQvePXWPKg4yRH1FC3yQK7o07ZS6cEvQazACvR2nnxgzOJZL4QjdRgbWG~YL~PEVGFe3Mnfz7xMV8qG0-ciOIS~sqK~I-N3KNQRPoiJoVD2tVAh5yYIhlnb83y7CuRHWi-7sI5F0t3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jennifer Mansour, planning staff, presented the Community Development year-in-review to the Planning Commission on March 6, summarizing major planning and building activity in 2024 and previewing projects and code changes for 2025.

Mansour said the Planning Commission approved one major residential development, the Sequoias neighborhood in the Meadows community, for 57 single-family residences; grading has finished and the first-phase building permits were issued in February. The commission reviewed the Great Scott project, a multi-entitlement proposal for a contractor storage yard and associated open space; Mansour said the City Council approved that project in 2024.

Staff highlighted a high number of use permits for new and unusual businesses in 2024. Mansour singled out Pickleball Haven, described as a future indoor pickleball facility with 14 courts; YoYo Golf, an indoor golf studio; SakaZen, an online sake retailer; ADV Baseball, a high-tech indoor baseball training facility; and a modified permit for Artemis Defense Institute to add a self-contained shooting range.

Mansour described a major zoning code amendment that revised 24 zoning-code sections to clarify district rules, improve residential district consistency and promote economic development. The ordinance used tables and graphics to make requirements clearer and included changes to residential accessory-structure regulations and reductions in parking requirements for medical offices and simplified rules for animal clinics. The staff presentation stated that the City Council approved the ordinance and that it took effect on the day of the meeting.

On industrial development, Mansour said planning staff processed applications for three industrial projects on Enterprise Way. The city is processing two environmental impact reports (EIRs): one project had an EIR scoping meeting in April (last year) and is expected to be released for public review later in 2025; a separate EIR covers two projects owned by Western Real Co and had an EIR scoping meeting in January.

Mansour also described building-division activity in 2024: staff reported the division issued over 2,600 permits (building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical) and conducted over 11,000 inspections. She said the division issued permits for a number of new residential units and that 180 residential units were completed in 2024, including single-family homes, ADUs and the Mountain View apartment complex (described in the presentation as a project approved in 2020; staff said it is fully rented).

Commissioners asked clarifying questions; staff invited comments and said planning staff is available to follow up on project scheduling and EIR timelines.

Clarifying details from the presentation include the list of new business-type use permits, the scope of the zoning-code amendment (24 sections) and the status of Enterprise Way EIRs. Staff did not provide an ordinance number in the presentation and some unit counts in the slides were presented without an accompanying ordinance citation.","Staff told the Planning Commission that a comprehensive zoning-code amendment affecting 24 sections took effect and highlighted residential and commercial projects including a 57-unit Sequoias subdivision, indoor sports and entertainment uses, and three industrial projects on Enterprise Way with EIRs underway.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6643941,"Lake Forest code enforcement reports spike in property cases, details vendor enforcement and neighborhood initiatives",914,579000,1493000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b&start=579&end=1493","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531513-b9e2b617c8dbf727a0819b69b450da5b/thumbnail_579000.jpg","/articles/6643941/Lake-Forest-City/Orange-County/California/Lake-Forest-code-enforcement-reports-spike-in-property-cases-details-vendor-enforcement-and-neighborhood-initiatives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643941-7ab103f3bce354e6b9a3bd0f2ce69e14/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434860&Signature=ba0YQqGyeAiTXVkvRvB4Ue0QZltfFerSNN8HF7T1Q-fv3Nd55UDdcJPxiJftaOV-vHvD5LkYXDXGzOe~zfbi7louEsZhRvfT-OtJ9TpQTA6Mg1g2nJMRbTn4rL9of-DfnDYZRHTLv1sZ4CwetPuxDLlVxsvSRjODCk6Uo7hDtVL8RnJ42~VAmztZ-YgUwryTzmnpLxtt7A0pneB2GblWydAM5~x4z9k64mvam~S96BNbPbz6PezMqSB2h4RUkNOzOnhRjvu8vUl9GjikYfU5Hl2Zymt2CRutPVLsI4ct1jdxsgM9Ipsqup0vEvP3itJD3EOmJR5s40nOd3gxg7x1rA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Acting Code Enforcement Supervisor Winston Nkuruga told the Lake Forest Planning Commission on March 6 that code enforcement closed most 2024 cases but is seeing a rising share of property-maintenance complaints tied to aging housing and economic pressures.

Nkuruga, presenting the city's 2024 code-enforcement activity report, said public nuisance complaints (including noise, short-term rental and business violations) made up the largest category of cases, while property maintenance (graffiti, substandard housing and landscaping) was the second-largest category.

The presentation described two separate case-count snapshots. For the second half of 2024, staff said the division carried over 65 cases from the first half, opened 280 new cases and closed 309, leaving 136 active cases at year-end. For the full 2024 calendar year, staff reported opening 552 cases and closing 525, leaving 36 cases pending at year end. Nkuruga said the differences reflect the two reporting windows: second-half metrics versus full-year totals.

Nkuruga told the commission the average age of homes in Lake Forest is about 40 years and that the southern portion of the city (south of Geronimo) accounted for a disproportionate share of enforcement workload; staff attributed that concentration to higher housing density and older properties in that area.

The division highlighted several tools and programs used in 2024 and planned for 2025. In 2024 the City Council adopted the city's first property maintenance code, revisions to the public-nuisance code and additional definitions; staff also redesigned enforcement notices to make violations and corrective actions clearer, Nkuruga said.

Nkuruga discussed a contracted Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) review by Trebuco Consultation that led to physical changes at a problem location near the Aldi store at Mullins and El Toro. He said the consultant's recommendations'such as lowering groundcover, raising tree canopies, fencing utility boxes and brightening walls'have reduced loitering and graffiti at that site.

Nkuruga spent significant time on sidewalk vending. He reminded the commission that state law legalized sidewalk vending in California in 2018 and said Lake Forest used three new tools in 2024: a July ordinance that allows code staff to impound vendor items if a vendor refuses to stop within 30 minutes; a contracted security presence at hot spots; and two new evening code officers (named in the presentation as Damien and Ricky) assigned to vendor patrol and outreach. \"Between September and December, we provided over 130 minute notices to vendors. We carried out 7 impounds,\" Nkuruga said. \"We averaged about 1 and a half vendor contacts per day.\" He said taco stands and other hot-food vendors were the most common violators and that Trabuco and El Toro intersections were a primary hotspot, though 28% of the contacts occurred elsewhere in the city.

Looking ahead to 2025, Nkuruga described two strategic initiatives that staff will roll out. The neighborhood-improvement effort called the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force (NITF) will focus on a southwest Lake Forest area; a consultant will conduct door-to-door surveys and staff will hold a pop-up event in May to gather resident and business input. The second initiative is a Community Preservation Volunteer Program, run under contract with Trellis (a nonprofit), intended to mobilize volunteers to help residents with small maintenance tasks and foster neighborhood pride.

Commissioners asked several operational questions, including how vendor permits are tracked and whether education or enforcement is producing compliance. Nkuruga said some vendors have moved into compliance after outreach and that the low number of impounds indicates cooperation or deterrence.

Staff emphasized the division's focus on health and safety and on providing education and assistance in addition to enforcement. Nkuruga said staff will continue to refine case data and reporting formats to provide clearer metrics to the commission.

Clarifying detail: Nkuruga noted the statistics presented to the commission exclude most of the city's unpermitted sidewalk-vendor enforcement, which the division records separately. He also said staffing levels affected case-closure rates in 2024.

The commission received the report; there was no formal vote tied to the presentation.","City staff reported higher property-maintenance complaints and outlined a three-part approach to sidewalk vending, CPTED work at hotspots and new volunteer and neighborhood-targeted programs for 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning Commission elects new chair and vice chair for 2025

Commission denies massage-use permit for Bridger Road ' wellness center over proximity and compliance concerns

Planning commission revokes massage use permit at Lake Forest Marketplace after two OCSD undercover investigations

Planning staff reviews 2024 approvals, zoning code rewrite and 2025 industrial EIRs

Lake Forest code enforcement reports spike in property cases, details vendor enforcement and neighborhood initiatives