Those persons wishing to speak on any item included on the agenda, or on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council, are invited fill out and submit to the City Clerk a “Request to Speak” form (name and address optional) which is available at the entrance to the Council Chambers. Additionally, members of the public may submit electronic public comments to [email protected] no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. In your email, please include the meeting date, agenda item you are commenting on, and your comment. All comments received by the deadline will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration before action is taken on the matter and will be entered into the record for the meeting specified in email received.
If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in this meeting per your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act or for any other reason, please contact the City Clerk ’s Office (909) 334-3306, at least 48 hours prior to the advertised starting time of the meeting.
Any documents produced by the City and distributed to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda will be made available in the City Clerk ’s Office during normal business hours at City Hall located at 13220 Central Avenue, Chino. In addition, such documents will be posted on the City’s website at www.cityofchino.org.
CHINO CITY COUNCIL
SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
PLANNING COMMISSION
CHINO SENIOR CENTER
13170 CENTRAL AVENUE
CHINO, CA 91710
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026
SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION AGENDA
6:00 PM
_________________________________________________________________________________
NOTICE AND CALL FOR A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE CHINO CITY COUNCIL /
SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION THAT WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026 AT 6 :00 PM AT THE SENIOR CENTER LOCATED AT 13170 CENTRAL AVENUE, CHINO, CA.
ROLL CALL
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Eunice M. Ulloa, Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Burton, Council Member Karen C.
Comstock, Council Member Christopher Flores, Council Member Marc Lucio.
PLANNING COMMISSION: Chairperson Jimmy Alexandris, Vice -Chairperson Lissa Fraga, Commissioners Brandon Blanchard, Kevin Cisneroz, Vincent Lopez, and Lawrence Vieira.
FLAG SALUTE
PUBLIC COMMENTS
This is the time and place for the general public to address the City Council and Planning Commission about subjects that do not appear elsewhere on the agenda. Due to Council policy and Brown Act requirements, action will not be taken on any issues not on the Agenda. Ordinance No. 97-08 (Chino Municipal Code Section 2.04.090) limits speakers to no more than five (5) minutes in 1 CHINO CITY COUNCIL
JANUARY 13, 2026 2
which to address Council, except as provided under Government Code 54954.3(b)(2). If more than three (3) persons seek to address the same agenda item or the same subject matter, the Mayor shall establish a maximum period of time not to exceed thirty (30) minutes.
STUDY SESSION
1. Overview of Zoning Amendments to Implement the 2045 General Plan. A Joint Study Session City Council and Planning Commission for an Overview of Zoning Amendments to Implement the 2045 General Plan.
Staff Report By: Michael Hitz, Principal Planner and Andrew Hill, Dyett & Bhatia
2. Overview of Amendments to the Sign Code. A Joint Study Session of the City Council and Planning Commission to discuss and receive feedback for proposed amendments to the City of Chino's Sign Code.
Staff Report By: Chris Cortez, Assistant Planner
ADJOURN
The next Regular Meeting of the City Council will be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. (Closed Session no earlier than 4:00 p.m. if necessary) in the Council Chambers.
The next Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
I, Natalie Gonzaga, City Clerk of the City of Chino, hereby declare that on Thursday, January 8, 2026 this agenda was posted at the Chino Senior Center and on the south window of Chino City Hall, and this agenda together with all of the agenda reports and related documents were posted on the City’s website at www.cityofchino.org by myself or under my direction. _______________________________________
Natalie Gonzaga, City Clerk.
2 MEMORANDUM
CITY OF CHINO
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TO: LINDA REICH, CITY MANAGER
FROM: WARREN MORELION, AICP, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
SUBJECT
..titl e
Overview of Zoning Amendments to Implement the 2045 General Plan. ..end
RECOMMENDATION
1) Receive a presentation on zoning amendments to implement the 2045 General Plan; and 2) Discuss and provide feedback to staff and the consultant on content to be included in the Public Review Draft Zoning Code Update.
..body
FISCAL IMPACT
This agenda item is a status report on the comp rehensive zoning code update, therefore there are no financial impacts associated with this report.
CITY OF CHINO MISSION / VISION / VALUES / STRATEGIC ISSUES The recommendation detailed above further the City’s values and strategic issues that serve as key pillars on which identified priorities, goals, and action plans are built, by fostering:
Responsible Long-Range Planning
3 CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TITLE: OVERVIEW OF ZONING AMENDMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE 2045 GENERAL PLAN.
PAGE: 2
BACKGROUND
The City Council adopted the 2045 General Plan on September 2, 2025. To implement the 2045 General Plan, certain amendments to the Zoning Code are also required to ensure the General Plan and Zoning Code are consistent, as required under State law. Between December 2024 and April 2025, staff and the consultant, Andrew Hill of Dyett and Bhatia, conducted a series of study sessions with the Planning Commission to review and receive feedback on zoning amendments to implement the 2045 General Plan. The purpose of this study session is to provide an overview of the suggested zoning amendments, which reflect direction provided by the Planning Commission during the previous study sessions, and receive feedback prior to finalizing the Draft Zoning Code Update for pu blic review. The Draft Zoning Code Update document is anticipated for release in Spring 2026.
ISSUES/ANALYSIS
The following is a summary of key proposed amendments for implementation of the 2045 General Plan:
Code Reorganization. Much of the current Z oning Code is working well and has been retained, but to help ensure that the Code is more "user friendly" and facilitate future updates, the Code will be reorganized from group chapters into a hierarchical framework. This will result in a Zoning Code that is easier for users to find key provisions, and for new information to be added later without extensive reorganization and renumbering of the document.
Amendments to Streamline Approvals Process . Amendments are proposed to permit more uses by right when projects are clearly consistent with the 2045 General Plan and City standards. The current Zoning Code currently permits some uses by right, but many are subject to administrative approval and conditional use permit approval, which add time, cost and comp lexity. The intent of the proposed revisions is to make it easier for the City to attract and retain businesses, particularly in commercial and mixed use zones.
Amendments for Buffering Industrial and Warehouse Uses . Development and design standards for new and expanded industrial and logistics uses will be updated to implement "good neighbor" policies with the intent of promoting business development in the City while also shielding neighborhoods from negative impacts, delivering cleaner air, and limitin g where warehouse/distribution centers can establish. The amendments closely follow State requirements defined in Assembly Bill 98. Parking Requirements. Amendments will address residential parking requirements and parking standards for commercial shoppi ng centers. A recurring theme during the community outreach period for the General Plan Update was related to the availability of parking in residential neighborhoods. Amendments are proposed to incorporate strategies to optimize the availability of neighb orhood parking. For commercial shopping centers, amendments will seek to modernize standards and optimize the availability of parking stalls for patrons while working to control costs associated with development. Amendments Creating New Districts . The 20 45 General Plan Update created four new land use designations for mixed use areas: Regional Mixed Use, Boulevard Mixed Use, Downtown Overlay District, and Employment Mixed Use. Amendments have been prepared with tables identifying allowed uses in these are as, and with development 4 CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TITLE: OVERVIEW OF ZONING AMENDMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE 2045 GENERAL PLAN.
PAGE: 3
standards to implement the new land use designations, drawing on standards currently in place in the City and with best practices from other peer communities in California.
These amendments are still under review by staff and may b e further refined. The intent is to introduce the current Draft Zoning Code Update document and receive feedback from the City Council and Planning Commission at this stage to finalize the draft document.
5 MEMORANDUM
CITY OF CHINO
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TO: LINDA REICH, CITY MANAGER
FROM: WARREN MORELION, AICP, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
SUBJECT
..titl e
Overview of Amendments to the Sign Code.
..end
RECOMMENDATION
1) Receive a presentation on proposed amendments to the Sign Code; and 2) Discuss and provide feedback to staff on content to be included in the Public Review Draft Sign Code. ..body
FISCAL IMPACT
This agenda item is a status report on the sign code update, therefore there are no financial impacts associated with this report.
CITY OF CHINO MISSION / VISION / VALUES / STRATEGIC ISSUES The recommendation detailed above further the City’s values and strategic issues that serve as key pillars on which identified priorities, goals, and action plans are built, by fostering:
Responsible Long-Range Planning
6 CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TITLE: OVERVIEW OF AMENDMENTS TO THE SIGN CODE.
PAGE: 2
BACKGROUND
The City has initiated a comprehensive update to the City’s Sign Code. The proposed update addresses the Supreme Court case Reed v. Town of Gilbert, which requires sign regulations to be content neutral. The p roposed updates also include reformatting the Sign Code to make it more user friendly, incorporating sign standards to implement new land use designations created by the 2045 General Plan, and adding standards for sign types currently not addressed in the Sign Code. The existing sign standards for permanent signs (such as sign area, height, and size requirements) as well as permitting procedures are generally maintained.
The proposed update was originally initiated to ensure the Sign Code incorporates conte nt neutral sign regulations in accordance with the ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert. A content neutral regulation typically regulates the time, place and manner of a sign. This means that a city cannot regulate what a sign says, however a city can regulat e where a sign is placed, the size of a sign, the number of signs, and in the case of temporary signs, how long the sign may be displayed.
ISSUES/ANALYSIS
The following is a summary of the proposed amendments to the City’s Sign Code:
Temporary Signs. Standards for temporary signs have been updated to reflect content neutral standards for all temporary signs. Temporary and portable signs have been separated and are now proposed in four separate categories, which include wall mounted banners, A-frame signs, balloon displays, and yard signs. All temporary signs are required to be placed on private property, which is consistent with the current Sign Code requirements.
Electronic Message Signs and Billboards . Historically, in the City electronic message signs have been very limited in where they are permitted. Currently, there are a total of three electronic message signs that exist in the City. These signs are located at Ruben S. Ayala Park, the Chino Fairgrounds, and at the Chino Hills Ford dealership . The sign located at Ruben S. Ayala Park has been enlarged and redesigned with a modern reader board sign to allow more advertising of City events, and the sign located at the Chino Hills Ford dealership is currently being furbished to enlarge the sign ar ea and reflect modern standards. Staff is currently evaluating a broader range of electronic message signs to include options for electronic freeway billboards, electronic message signs along major roadways and in larger commercial centers, electronic read er boards at City facilities and transit stops, and electronic signs at EV charging stations throughout the City.
Creative Signs . The current Sign Code does not provide a means of approval or standards for creative signs. This update seeks to create an approval process for creative signs that the City can support by allowing deviations to the Sign Code standards to promote innovative and aesthetically creative signs that further economic development in the City. The proposed amendments include creating t wo different processes to approve creative signs: one approved by the Director of Development Services and another higher level approved by the Planning Commission. It is staff’s goal to substantially boost the City’s visual quality and promoted economic d evelopment in the City by permitting signage that entices the public’s interest. Murals. The Sign Code currently does not permit murals Citywide. As part of the Sign Code update, staff will explore establishing a program for murals within the City. The 7 CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 13, 2026
TITLE: OVERVIEW OF AMENDMENTS TO THE SIGN CODE.
PAGE: 3
update will establish mural guidelines, permitting process, and potential funding sources such as a Citywide art in public places fee. The addition of murals to the Sign Code is intended to further promote art in public places and to further create a uniqu e and attractive sense of place.
8