Subject: Urgent Concerns and Requests Regarding Public Safety and Proposed School Site in the Meadows Community

Dear Sarah Clemens, Laura Baker, Ty Chandler, Trent Bavaro, and Veronica Valega (Toll Brothers’ Registered Corporate Agent Authorized Employees):

We, the homeowners of the Meadows Community in Lake Forest, are writing to address critical matters concerning the development of our community by Toll Brothers. We are facing severe issues that are negatively impacting our community and lives, particularly as more homeowners finalize their purchases and more families with children move in. Attached is our initial petition to the City of Lake Forest, signed by numerous homeowners, describing some of the issues we had first identified. This letter aims to further illuminate and emphasize our concerns.

1. Public Safety: The crux of the problem stems from the misclassification of streets, parks, and facilities within the Meadows Development. This classification, established prior to public scrutiny, was a mutual arrangement between Toll Brothers and the City. We are deeply troubled by the seeming infringement on homeowners’ rights through unwarranted public access to privately owned streets, parks, and facilities brought on by this initial agreement. This disregard for ownership’s right has led to serious safety apprehensions and financial burdens within our community. Incidents involving unauthorized vehicles traversing the area, reckless driving and speeding and the resulting collisions with sidewalks and parks, loitering by homeless individuals, theft of packages and personal belongings from neighbors’ doorsteps, and misuse and damage of park facilities by outsiders have been frequently witnessed. We firmly believe that granting public access to facilities funded and maintained solely by homeowners is unjustified. The Homeowners Association (HOA) and the Sheriff's department have been ineffective in addressing these concerns, mainly due to conflict and confusion around the "privately owned, publicly accessible" status for the Meadow’s community, causing anger and frustration among homeowners who have repeatedly reported safety issues to no avail.

2. Misconduct by Toll Brothers on Proposed School Site: Our belief is that Toll Brothers’ actions have detrimentally impacted the viability of the proposed school site. Between 2019 and 2023, Toll Brothers significantly altered the site by creating a large cavity. The Meadows Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from December 2019 indicated that “no recognized environment concerns (REC) were identified on the proposed school site”. However, the situation has since changed. On March 9, 2023, the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) rejected Toll Brothers’ Irrevocable Offer of Dedication (IOD), made on September 29, 2022, citing “concerns include requiring extensive clean soil backfill and inadequate soil stability and bearing capacity”. This decision was informed by evaluations conducted by the California Department of Education (CDE) and architects, who discovered substantial modifications to the site, including the creation of a sizable hole spanning the entire 12-acre area. Toll Brothers’ deliberate alterations to the site have led to the issues highlighted by CDE and architects, resulting in the recommendation to cease pursuit of the site by SVUSD.

3. Misrepresentation of Information Regarding New School: The potential school site has consistently been presented as a key feature of the Meadows Community, influencing many owners’ decisions to purchase homes here over the past two years. Information about the school has been prominently featured in the City’s Approved VTTM 18142, Meadows Approved Area Plan, and Meadows Final Environmental Impact Report. Toll Brothers extensively utilized this prospective school information to attract real estate agents and buyers, while omitting crucial details about the school’s development. We were unaware that SVUSD had no intention of building a new school from the outset. Recently, we learned that the “potential new school” will not be pursued only after 90% of
the houses are sold. This lack of transparency from Toll Brothers, the City, and SVUSD is unacceptable, leaving homeowners feeling deceived and manipulated. We believe that this coordinated effort to mislead the public, involving the withholding or selective dissemination of information by the three parties, is a highly inappropriate, leading us to believe that this is a Civil Conspiracy.

Given the gravity of these issues, we earnestly request that Toll Brothers, at its expense:

1. To collaborate with the City and relevant agencies to revoke public easement and implement gated entrances to the community. This will compensate for the breach of homeowners’ rights and ensure public safety.

2. To provide financial restitution to all homeowners for the depreciation of property values due to the cancellation of the new K-6 school plan, based on a comprehensive market analysis.

3. If the above compensation is not deemed feasible by Toll Brothers, collaborate with the City and SVUSD to:

a. Retain the proposed school site for potential future development, addressing soil backfill, stability, and bearing capacity concerns.

OR

b. Identify an alternative school site adjacent to the Meadows Community that adheres to SVUSD and CDE guidelines/codes. The vacant commercial area on the west side of the Meadows Community is centrally located and suitable for a new school.

Additionally, retrieve Toll Brothers’ monetary contribution from SVUSD and allocate it towards the new neighborhood school, either at the originally planned location within the Meadows Community or at a suitable nearby site.

We look forward to your prompt attention to these pressing matters and anxiously await your reply. We kindly ask for your response within 14 calendar days of receiving this letter. Failure to do so may compel us to explore further actions.