City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0495
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 06/15/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT:
Variance 2021-0002 from Section 17.74.150 of the Corona Municipal Code and Section 4.5.10 of the Northeast Corona Specific Plan to allow one freestanding pylon sign to exceed the height limit and one freestanding pylon sign to exceed the maximum allowed sign area for an existing Shell gas station located at 175 N. McKinley Street in the Support Commercial designation of the Northeast Corona Specific Plan (SP81-2).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Variance 2021-0002 (V2021-0002) is an application by the owner and operator of the Shell gas station located at 175 N. McKinley Street. The owner is requesting a variance from Section
17.74.150 of the Corona Municipal Code and Section 4.5.10 of the Northeast Corona Specific Plan to allow one freestanding pylon sign advertising gas prices to exceed the height limit and one freestanding pylon sign serving as the site’s main identification sign on McKinley Street to exceed the maximum allowed sign area for the existing gas station. The reason for the variance is to minimize the affects of the circulation changes being made in the immediate area due to the construction of the new grade separation on McKinley Street near the project site.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission's action granting V2021-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The existing Shell gas station located at 175 N. McKinley Street has an existing 60-foot high freeway City of Corona Page 1 of 4 Printed on 6/9/2022
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File #: 22-0495
sign facing State Route 91, an existing 35-foot high, 194 square foot pylon sign facing McKinley Street and an existing 9’-8” high, 29.5 square foot gas price sign facing McKinley Street. The two signs on McKinley Street are being removed due to the McKinley Grade Separation Project. The applicant intends to replace the signs with two new signs that exceed the current sign code regulations allowed by the Corona Municipal Code and Northeast Corona Specific Plan. A variance is requested based on special circumstances created by the grade separation project.
The Planning and Housing Commission at its meeting on May 23, 2022, reviewed the variance and the unique physical hardship being created by the grade separation project, which will affect the circulation in and around the area and access to the gas station. Additionally, the grade separation project resulted in the acquisition of property from the gas station to accommodate the new right-ofway alignments on McKinley Street between the railroad tracks and State Route 91. The acquisition of the property from the project site requires the existing signs to be removed and replaced elsewhere on the site.
Existing Shell Gas Station Signage on McKinley Street Frontage The existing signs on the gas station’s McKinley Street frontage were approved by a prior variance in December 1997. The variance allowed for the following signs:
· The main identification sign was allowed to be increased from 150 square feet to 176 square feet. (Over the years it looks like the sign was modified by the property owner to add a car wash panel. Staff cannot locate a permit that would have allowed an increase to the area of the sign. The total sign area is 194 square feet, which exceeds the area allowed by the previously approved variance)
· The height of the gas price signage was increased from three feet to six feet. (The sign as it exists today looks as though the property owner increased the height of the sign from six feet to 9’- 8”. Staff cannot locate a permit that would have allowed for an increase in the height.) Since the approval of the prior variance, the City’s signage provisions have been amended and the zoning of the property was changed from M-1 (Light Industrial) to SC (Support Commercial) of the Northeast Corona Specific Plan. The proposed variance will void the previous variance and create a new variance from the City’s current signage regulations based on the new signs being proposed for the gas station.
ANALYSIS:
The applicant is requesting to replace the existing 9’-8” high price sign currently located north of the main driveway with the new 35-foot-high freestanding main identification sign and replace the existing 35-foot-high sign currently located south of the driveway with the new 16-foot-high price sign. The following describes the details of the proposed signage.
Proposed Sign #1 (Main Identification Sign)
The first sign is a 35-foot-high freestanding main identification sign proposed at the northwest City of Corona Page 2 of 4 Printed on 6/9/2022
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File #: 22-0495
portion of the site, within the front landscaped setback area near the 91 freeway on-ramp. The sign will be placed approximately 6 to 8 feet from the back of sidewalk after right-of-way dedication. The public sidewalk at this general location will be kept at the same general on-site elevation of the gas station. This freestanding sign will feature Shell’s logo, digital pricing, car wash and food mart signage for a combined 182 square foot sign area. The sign area exceeds the maximum allowed area by 82 square feet. For comparison purposes, the previous variance allowed a sign area of 174 square feet.
The new sign is the same height as the existing 35-foot-high sign but is allowed to go as high as 40 feet pursuant to Section 17.74.150 of the CMC. Since the SC designation of the Northeast Corona Specific Plan is silent on the height limitation for freestanding signs, the provisions in CMC Chapter
17.74 (Sign Ordinance) shall regulate. Because the property is contiguous to the freeway, the sign is allowed to have a maximum height of 40 feet. The new sign complies with the height limitation.
Proposed Sign #2 (Gas Price Sign)
The freestanding gas price sign is proposed at the southern end of the site, also within the front landscaped setback area. At the location where the gas price sign is proposed, the gas station will be lower than McKinley Street by approximately 30 inches (2.5 feet). This grade difference requires a 3’-6” high retaining wall with a 2’-6” high metal railing immediately in front of the secondary sign location, which will be constructed as part of the Loop Road improvements. Because Loop Road will be elevated, the applicant proposes a 16-foot-high sign with a 24-square-foot sign area. Half of the sign’s height (8 feet) is comprised of the support posts, which will be located behind the retaining wall and metal railing. The sign area will extend above the screen wall and railing.
The sign area will include an 18-square-foot digital gas price board and a 6-square-foot directional sign that reads “Left Turn on Sampson”, for a combined sign area of 24 square feet. Gas price signs that have an area of 25 square feet or less are exempt from being considered an additional sign.
However, the price signs shall adhere to the height limitation required by the City’s Sign Ordinance.
Commercial properties are allowed to have freestanding commercial signs up to 15 feet but shall maintain a minimum clearance of 8 feet from the bottom of the sign. The applicant is proposing to increase the height of the sign by 1 foot for a total of 16 feet. The sign also maintains a clearance of eight feet from the bottom of the sign.
Variance Analysis
Staff finds that, due to the on-going construction of the grade separation on McKinley Street and the additional 7.5-foot height increase proposed along McKinley Street with new retaining wall and fence extensions, the proposed replacement of two freestanding signs is consistent with the findings required for a variance, per Section 17.96.020 of the CMC.
Section 17.96.020 of the CMC requires that special circumstances, applicable to the subject property, must exist in order for the Planning and Housing Commission to grant a variance application. Special circumstances applicable to the subject property must relate to the size, shape, topography and location or surroundings of the subject property.
City of Corona Page 3 of 4 Printed on 6/9/2022
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File #: 22-0495
There are several special circumstances applicable to this project based on changes to the topography and changes to the surroundings of the project site based on construction of the grade separation, including but not limited to, additional right-of-way dedication, increase in roadway height ranging from 2 to 7.5 feet along the project site frontage and changes in the access to the project site. The increased sign height and sign area are necessary for the applicant’s business visibility.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $4,735 to cover the cost of the Variance.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15311 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) a Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project because the project qualifies as a Class 11 (Accessory Structures) categorical exemption. As a result of the proposed McKinley Street bridge overpass, the Applicant is required to relocate two existing freestanding pylon signs to accommodate additional right-of-way related to the construction of the bridge. This project qualifies for a Class 11 CEQA exemption as the replacement signs are accessory to an existing commercial facility.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of May 23, 2022, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland/Alexander) with Commissioner Woody voting “No”, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2588 granting V2021-0002 based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval with the added condition: The applicant’s 35-foot tall pylon sign, as reflected in plans submitted, may be increased to a height of 40 feet as permitted for freeway adjacent pylon signs (CMC Section 17.74.150). The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 - Site Plan for V2021-0002
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of May 23, 2022 City of Corona Page 4 of 4 Printed on 6/9/2022
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