It’s Back to Drawing Board for Some Cities

With new toll roads slicing through some of the county’s most prime undeveloped land, several cities are scrambling to line up their borders with the roads’ asphalt shoulders to have more control over development.

Laguna Niguel was the first, adding 70 acres on its northern boundary so city limits would become flush with the San Joaquin Hills toll road. The new road spans from MacArthur Boulevard in Newport Beach south to the San Diego Freeway.

Lake Forest recently applied to annex 196 acres of easterly land adjacent the Foothill toll road, which traverses central Orange County. The roadside property is mostly pristine land that includes Saddleback Community Church.

Irvine was the second city to ask for a realignment with the San Joaquin Hills tollway. Newport Beach agreed to the request, saying its city boundary also should parallel the toll road all the way up to MacArthur Boulevard. Shifting its border along the roadway would move 13,000 proposed units in the Bonita Village development from Irvine to Newport Beach.

Setting new boundaries for cities is accomplished through the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO. The goal is to make sure changes are logical and done according to the wishes of those affected.

Only the Laguna Niguel annexation has received final approval.

Dana Smith, LAFCO’s executive officer, said redrawing boundaries to fit something tangible like a road is smart planning. When Laguna Hills became a city, for example, the dividing line was the center line of some of the major streets, she said. The result was confusion about how to divide things like water and sewer service, and police and fire protection.

“We like neat,� Smith said. “We like things that make sense. In the past, areas have developed and roads were put through and boundaries didn’t change. A lot of problems ended up happening down the road.�

Shifting city lines around the 22-mile-long San Joaquin Hills tollway would involve the largest stretch of property. The road runs along the edge of the massive Newport Coast development of homes and businesses being built between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. Newport Beach is expected to annex the area, now unincorporated.

“It’s nice to have a geographic boundary that everyone can look at and knows that’s where the city ends,� said Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager in Newport Beach.

Lake Forest’s application to square off its boundary with the Foothill toll road was spurred by the county’s attempt to rezone a portion of the open land to commercial development. The property is part of the Rancho de Los Alisos Planned Community, the bulk of which is within city limits.

When the county last year renewed its attempts to rezone nine acres right next to the freeway and Lake Forest, city officials jumped in and threatened a lawsuit, said Mark Pulone, assistant to the city manager. The dispute ended when county officials agreed to let the city have all 196 acres of county property--with the nine acres rezoned as planned.

“The county has committed to trying to get rid of these little fingers of county land,� Pulone said. “Now the cities are trying to figure out how best to do that. Some of these areas are a plus for the city, and some can be a real drain, especially if you’re talking about how [the county] will provide services to them. Our [annexation request] was an easy call for us.�

Perspective is a weekly column highlighting trends and events that define Orange County or an in-depth look at an issue affecting the county. Readers are invited to call Los Angeles Times correspondent Jean O. Pasco at (714) 564-1052 or send an e-mail to Jean.P[email protected]