REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by: Damaris Abraham, Community Development Director Date: August 26, 2025
Subject: Notice of Decision – Planning Commission Approval of Planning Application No. 2025-10 (Vista Lago Global Academy) for a Commercial Design Review to Allow Temporary Modular Classroom Buildings for a New Public Charter School located within a Portion of the Parking Lot at Alberhill Ranch Community Park at 28200 Lake Street
Applicant: Alyssa Ross, Vista Charter Public Schools
Recommendation
Receive and File the Notice of Decision for Planning Application No. 2025-10 approved by the Planning Commission on August 5, 2025.
Background
Vista Charter Public Schools (Vista) has been in operation for over 15 years as a small network of charter schools that offer free public education for transitional kindergarten through 12th grade.
Vista is proposing to establish their seventh location, Vista Lago Global Academy (Vista Lago), in Lake Elsinore. Vista has entered into a license agreement with the City to grant them the temporary right to use a portion of the parking lot at Alberhill Ranch Community Park.
The proposed project is a Commercial Design Review (CDR-2025-08) to allow the temporary installation of four (4) modular classroom buildings and one (1) modular administrative office building for the temporary operation of a new public charter school, Vista Lago Global Academy.
The project also includes minor site improvements, including temporary hook-ups and infrastructure for utilities, directional wayfinding signage, fencing for safety and security, and an outdoor recreation space for recess. To accommodate the temporary modular buildings, a total of 41 parking spaces within the southern portion of the Alberhill Ranch Community Park parking lot are proposed to be temporarily removed.
(PA 2025-10 Vista Lago Modulars)
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Vista Lago intends to offer free public education for kindergarten through 9th grade with up to 170 students and 24 staff members. The proposed school schedule is 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. for kindergarten through 5th grade and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for 6 th through 9 th grade. The administrative office hours are proposed from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Vista Lago would also offer an after-school program from 2:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Vista will operate at the park temporarily while they apply and secure the necessary entitlement approval(s) and building permit(s) to construct the permanent location, which is proposed to be located at Riverside Drive and Joy Street (APN 379-160-004). Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement with the City, Vista would be responsible for returning the parking lot (and any other areas allowed to be used under the license) back into its original condition upon vacating the use once their permanent school has been fully constructed.
The proposed project site is within the southern portion of the existing surface parking lot at the City-owned Alberhill Ranch Community Park which is a 22-acre public park located at the northwest corner of Lake Street and Nichols Road. Access to the project site is provided by an existing driveway along Lake Street.
On August 5, 2025, the Planning Commission, by a 5-0 vote, took the following actions:
1. Found that the proposed temporary use project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15311 (Accessory Structures); and
2. Adopted A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING COMMERCIAL DESIGN REVIEW NO. 2025-08
TO ALLOW THE TEMPORARY INSTALLATION OF FOUR MODULAR CLASSROOM
BUILDINGS AND ONE MODULAR OFFICE BUILDING FOR A NEW PUBLIC CHARTER
SCHOOL (VISTA LAGO GLOBAL ACADEMY) LOCATED WITHIN THE SOUTHERN
PORTION OF THE PARKING LOT AT ALBERHILL RANCH COMMUNITY PARK AT 28200 LAKE STREET (APN 389-020-056).
Discussion
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve the project at its regular meeting on August 5, 2025. No written comments were received. The CEO of the Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber and representative of the Riverside County Office of Education addressed the Commission in support of the project. The applicant was in attendance for the public hearing.
The Planning Commission’s decision is final, and no action by the City Council is required unless the City Council, by majority vote, elects to review and reconsider the Commission’s decision by ordering the matter set for future noticed public hearing according to Section 17.410.110.F of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code (LEMC), or the applicant or an interested person files a complete appeal application within 15 days of this notice appearing on the City Council’s Agenda. (PA 2025-10 Vista Lago Modulars)
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Fiscal Impact
The time and cost related to processing this application have been covered by fees paid for by the applicant. No General Fund budgets have been allocated or used in the processing of this application. Project approval does not fiscally impact the City’s General Fund. Mitigation to protect the City’s fiscally have already been included in the Conditions of Approval.
Attachments
Attachment 1 - Planning Commission Staff Report
Community Development