El Toro Road Project to Figure in Budget

When City Council members sit down at a special budget meeting Monday, they’ll be looking at a project that officials say will keep the city fiscally strong for years to come.

The long-awaited redevelopment of El Toro Road will be a major topic as the council begins the long process of setting the 1997-98 city budget.

City officials expect next year’s general fund to swell by 11.7%, or about $1.468 million. Expenses are projected to rise by 3.3%, or about $419,000. Overall, the city budget is expected to increase from $15.8 million to $17.2 million.

But the big news will be the beginning of the redevelopment project. By the start of the fiscal year in July, city officials expect to recommend the hiring of a redevelopment consultant to study possible ways to upgrade the retail corridor along El Toro Road.

“One of the main areas of focus for the City Council is the city’s economic picture down the road,” said David Bass, who is in charge of the city’s finances. “We want to see what alternatives there are to enhancing the area.”

While motorists see El Toro Road as one of the most congested thoroughfares in the county, city officials have long looked at the arterial as a potential source of sales tax revenue.

“There are a lot of cars driving through, but you have to get them to stop,” Bass said.

One of the challenges of redevelopment for the city is to create a retail project that will entice drivers off the road to spend money in Lake Forest, he said.