Petition to Lake Forest City Council and Planning Department 

 

 

Subject: Stop the Proposed Industrial Warehouse and Manufacturing Projects on Enterprise Way, Lake Forest

Dear Honorable Members of the Lake Forest City Council and Planning Department, Our community is facing the imminent threat of three large-scale industrial development projects. The first involves a 166,000-square-foot warehouse, while the other two projects total over 150,000 square feet. All three proposed developments are located directly adjacent to The Meadows residential community and newly built senior affordable housing, posing a serious risk to the environment and public health. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the first project was released in July 2025, with the public comment period ending in August 2025. While the EIR acknowledges significant impacts on traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, it downplays critical issues such as noise, air pollution, and water quality degradation. Most importantly, it fails to assess the cumulative environmental impact of all three proposed projects combined.

We urgently call for the following actions:

    1.    Thoroughly review the EIR and submit public comments, demanding a comprehensive evaluation of the cumulative impacts of all three proposed projects;

    2.    Under CEQA and in defense of the public interest, halt the approval process and reject all three warehouse project applications.

Time is of the essence — public comments are due by the end of August 2025, and the City Council is expected to make a decision soon.

We firmly believe that approving these projects would cause irreversible harm to the environment, jeopardize the health and safety of residents, and undermine California’s long-term climate and sustainability goals.

We, the concerned residents of Lake Forest, write to express our strong opposition to the three proposed industrial warehouse manufacturing projects on Enterprise Way. These projects include:

1. IPT Enterprise Business Center LLC Project – 26200 Enterprise Way (8.83 acres)

2. Western Realco Industrial Project 1 – 26110, 26140, 26160 Enterprise Way (8.41 acres)

3. Western Realco Industrial Project 2 – 26250 Enterprise Way (4.77 acres)

Together, these projects will introduce over 22 acres of industrial facilities, including approximately 400,000 square feet of buildings, and disrupt the residential character of our community, posing severe environmental, health, and safety risks.

Key Concerns and Impacts:

1. Environmental and Health Hazards

• Air Pollution: Diesel trucks and industrial activities will release significant pollutants, including NOx, SOx, PM-2.5, and PM-10, into the air. Initial analyses indicate that emissions from the IPT project alone may exceed the Air Quality Standards (AAQS).

• Noise Pollution: Continuous 24/7 operations will generate noise from heavy trucks and industrial equipment, severely impacting nearby residential neighborhoods like Meadows and Baker Ranch, some of which are within 100 feet of truck routes and operations.

2. Traffic Congestion and Infrastructure Strain:

• Road Overload: Bake Parkway, Alton Parkway, Lake Forest Drive, and El Toro Road are not designed for frequent heavy truck traffic.

• Proposed projects will bring additional 48 dock doors and 699 parking spaces, exacerbating traffic and wear on these roads.

 • Inadequate Road Improvements: The current plans only address five intersections but fail to address the broader need for lane expansions and road upgrades.

3. Incompatibility with Residential Areas

• These industrial projects are incompatible with the surrounding residential neighborhoods and undermine the Lake Forest General Plan (2020) and Lake Forest Community Vision (2040), which prioritize community well-being and sustainable development.

4. Threats to Vulnerable Populations

• The nearby Meadows Senior Apartments house over 100 seniors aged 62 and older, who are particularly vulnerable to air pollution and noise. These projects will jeopardize their health and safety. 

Our Requests:

We respectfully urge the City Council and Planning Department to:

1. Halt the Approval Process: Pause all approvals for these projects until a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is conducted to assess cumulative and long-term impacts.

2. Conduct Transparent Community Consultations: Host public hearings to gather feedback from affected residents and ensure transparency in decision-making.

3. Reassess Compatibility and Compliance: Ensure these projects align with the Lake Forest General Plan and Community Vision, and prioritize the health and quality of life of residents over industrial expansion.

4. Requests planning committee to evaluate the appropriateness of existing zoning, taking into account the proposed industrial projects and  adjacent residential density.

 

 

 

 

Why Action is Needed Now

Approving these projects will set a dangerous precedent for the future of Lake Forest. The clustering of high-density industrial facilities adjacent to residential neighborhoods will degrade the environment, harm public health, and lower property values. We have a responsibility to protect the well-being of our community today and for generations to come.

We urge the City Council and Planning Department to act in the best interests of Lake Forest residents by rejecting these proposals and pursuing alternative development strategies that align with our community’s values and vision.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

Concerned Homeowners of Lake Forest, CA

Date: January 5, 2025

        致Lake Forest市议会和城建部门的请愿书

 

 

尊敬的市议会和城建部门领导：

我们的社区正面临三项大型工业开发项目的审批压力：首案为一座占地 166,000 平方英尺的大型仓库，另外两项项目总面积超过 150,000 平方英尺。这些开发用地紧邻 The Meadows 社区及新建的老年可负担住房，将对周边环境和居民健康带来严重威胁。

首个项目已于 2025 年 7 月发布《环境影响报告书》（EIR），公众评论截止日期为 2025 年 8 月底。尽管报告承认该项目将在交通拥堵和温室气体排放方面产生重大影响，但对噪音、空气污染、水质破坏等问题却轻描淡写，且完全未评估三项开发叠加造成的累计环境影响。

为此，我们紧急呼吁：

    1.    认真审阅 EIR 并积极提交公众评论，要求对三个项目的累计环境影响进行全面补充评估；

    2.    依据《加州环境质量法案》（CEQA）及公共利益原则，立即停止审批流程，并否决全部三个开发项目申请。

评论期将于 2025 年 8 月底截止，市议会也即将作出决定。

我们坚信，若这些项目获批，将对社区生态、居民健康以及加州的环境与气候目标造成不可逆转的破坏。

我们是Lake Forest市的居民，怀着深切的担忧，强烈反对在企业路（Enterprise Way)上拟建的三个工业仓库建造项目。这些项目包括：

1. IPT Enterprise Business Center LLC项目– 26200 Enterprise Way（8.83英亩）

2. Western Realco工业项目1 – 26110、26140、26160 Enterprise Way（8.41英亩）

3. Western Realco工业项目2 – 26250 Enterprise Way（4.77英亩）

以上项目的总占地面积超过22英亩，建筑面积接近40万平方英尺，将新增多 个工业建筑，包含制造、仓储、装卸及办公设施。这些项目将对我们的社区、环境以及居民生活质量产生重大威胁。

主要问题与担忧

1. 环境污染与健康威胁

• 空气污染：柴油卡车和工业活动将释放大量污染物（如NOx、SOx PM-2.5、PM-10），严重威胁距离项目不到0.5英里的约5,000-7,000名居民的健康。初步分析表明，仅IPT项目的污染物排放已可能超过空气质量标准（AAQS）。

• 噪音污染：24/7运营的工业设备和重型卡车进出将产生持续的噪音，尤其对Meadows和Baker Ranch社区居民影响严重。部分住宅距离卡车进出口不足100英尺。

2. 交通拥堵与道路损坏

• 项目将吸引大量重型卡车及699辆汽车，导致Bake Pkwy、Alton Pkwy、Lake Forest Dr和El Toro Rd等主干道交通压力激增。这些道路原本未设计用于频繁的重型车辆通行。

• 当前仅计划改造五个交叉路口，道路扩宽和新增车道的改造需求却未被考虑。

3. 与社区的不兼容性

• 高密度工业设施与周边住宅社区严重不符，违背Lake Forest总体规划（2020年通过）和社区愿景（2040年目标）。

• 项目的环境、噪音及交通问题将对周边居民的生活质量和社区的整体宜居性造成不可逆的损害。

4. 对老年人群体的威胁

• 即将入住Meadows老年公寓的100多名老年居民（62岁以上）对空气污染和噪音的影响尤为敏感，工业项目将直接威胁其健康和安全。

我们的诉求:

我们呼吁市议会和城建部门：

1. 暂停审批流程

• 在未进行全面环境影响评估（EIR）的情况下暂停所有工业项目的审批。

• 将居民的健康、安全和生活质量置于优先考虑位置。

2. 开展全面的社区咨询与听证

• 定期召开公开听证会，听取居民意见，尤其是受影响最严重的社区反馈。

• 确保规划决策的透明度和居民的参与度。

3. 重新评估项目兼容性与合法性

• 确保所有项目符合Lake Forest总体规划和社区愿景目标，不得违反环保法规或侵害社区利益。

• 综合考虑项目的长期累积性影响，而非单独审批。

4. 要求规划委员会评估现有分区的合理性，考虑拟议的工业项目和邻近的住宅密度。

 

 

 

 

为什么必须行动？

Lake Forest正处于一个关键发展阶段。批准这些项目不仅将严重威胁当前社区的环境与健康，还可能为未来的工业扩张设下危险先例。我们必须共同努力，为我们的后代保护Lake Forest的环境、健康和生活质量。

我们相信，市议会和城建部门将优先考虑居民的福祉，拒绝这些项目的通过，转而规划更符合社区利益的长期发展方案。

此致

敬礼！

Lake Forest居民联合请愿

2025年1月5日