Lake Forest council votes to scrap 27-year park plan for affordable housing

The Lake Forest City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to abandon a 27-year-old plan for a municipal park and sell 6.5 acres in the Whispering Hills neighborhood, reserving 2.5 acres as park space and setting four acres aside for low-income housing, Voice of OC reported.

The vote comes as Lake Forest faces a state mandate to zone for 3,236 housing units by 2029 — a target the city had reached less than one-third of by the end of 2025, according to Voice of OC.

The city purchased the Whispering Hills parcel in 1999 but could not move forward with a park due to funding shortfalls and failure to reach community consensus, Voice of OC reported. Tuesday's vote — cast with one councilmember absent — requires any buyer to sign a deed restriction preserving 2.5 acres as open park space while developing the remaining four acres for affordable housing.

Councilmember Mark Tettemer said the plan strikes a workable balance. "I think this is a nice blend of trying to continue to provide some park space for the community and there's some interest, I think, by people, but also trying to provide some affordable housing as well," Tettemer said at the June 16 meeting.

Mayor Robert Pequeño signaled he would press for the housing to serve elderly residents specifically. "I know that I am going to push really hard for … Whispering Hills to be senior affordable and not just affordable," Pequeño said at the meeting. About 15% of Lake Forest's population is 65 or older, according to Voice of OC.

The decision drew sharp criticism during public comment. Resident Amanda Sheek questioned whose interests the process had served. "Ultimately, this process serves the people up on this stage far more than it served the residents down here, or any senior who actually needs affordable housing," Sheek said. She added: "I am all for affordable housing solutions, I just couldn't disagree more with your process to achieve that lack with this site," according to Voice of OC.

Public commenter Kenton Boettcher offered cautious optimism while urging the council to hold the line. "We've seen so many broken promises over the years, but if, what we've seen, to have a park finally and make a difference in the lives of 65+ seniors who may never have a chance to live or stay in Orange County is amazing. It's a miracle. But it's all up to you to ensure that happens, that we're not, in the process, putting it up and it's snatched away," Boettcher said at the meeting.

State guidelines set the low-income threshold for a family of four in Orange County at $148,850 a year and the very-low-income threshold at $93,050, against a countywide median income of $138,600, Voice of OC reported. Of the city's 3,236-unit state mandate, 956 units must be zoned for very-low-income households and 543 for low-income households.

Lake Forest completed a $4.35 million, 50-unit affordable housing project in 2025 and built 71 units in 2020. City officials said they plan to support a nonprofit developer for the Whispering Hills site, with construction expected to begin in two to three years, Voice of OC reported.