City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 23-0087
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
DATE: 1/23/2023
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Planning and Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
CFPA2022-0002: South Corona Community Facilities Plan Amendment to amend two acres located at 1220 W. Ontario Avenue and 5.40 acres located at 2880 California Avenue from Low Density Residential to Medium Density Residential.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the Planning and Housing Commission recommend APPROVAL of CFPA2022-0002 to the City Council based on the findings contained in the staff report and find that no additional environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is necessary because there are no changes to the project as analyzed in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Corona Housing Element Rezoning Program.
BACKGROUND
The City Council adopted the General Plan Housing Element 2021-2029 on November 3, 2021. The Housing Element is a state mandated document that is required to be updated every eight years. On October 12, 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community Development approved the City’s Housing Element and found the document to be in compliance with State Housing Element Law (Government Code Article 10.6). The Housing Element requires the City to rezone and amend the General Plan land use of certain properties to meet its state mandated regional housing need.
The Housing Element 2021-2029 aligns with the State’s allocation of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, commonly known as RHNA. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council adopted the final RHNA allocation for the jurisdictions within its region at its meeting on March 4, 2021. The City of Corona was issued a final RHNA allocation of 6,088 housing units. The City is required to demonstrate the planning of these units based on each income category within the Housing Element for the next eight years.
Housing Program 7 of the Housing Element requires the City’s to identify adequate housing sites that could be developed with housing according to the income categories required by the City’s RHNA City of Corona Page 1 of 4 Printed on 1/18/2023
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File #: 23-0087
could be developed with housing according to the income categories required by the City’s RHNA allocation. The City does have a lack of sites available for medium density and high density residential, which creates a shortfall in having enough sites available for the planning of low- and moderate-income units. Housing Program 7 requires the City to rezone certain properties so that enough sites are available for the potential development of medium density and high density residential that would support the planning of low- and moderate-income units.
Community Facilities Plan Amendment 2022-0002 (CFPA2022-0002) is part of the rezoning program.
The amendment will affect two properties that are partially developed and contain existing buildings for religious purposes. The property located at 1220 Ontario Avenue is the location for Evangelical Friends Church Southwest, and the property located at 2880 California Avenue is the location for United Methodist Church of Corona. Both churches contacted the City during the Housing Element process and expressed interest in providing housing on the respective properties. The churches have no plans to expand on the undeveloped portions of the properties. Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is interested in providing housing for families that may not be able to afford market rate units and United Methodist Church of Corona is interested in providing housing for senior citizens.
Any future housing would coexist with the existing churches.
This amendment is being processed in conjunction with other applications associated with the rezoning program which include Specific Plan Amendment 2022-0003 (SPA2022-0003), Change of Zone 2022-0003 (CZ2022-0003), and General Plan Amendment 2022-0002 (GPA2022-0002); all of which will amend the land uses of certain properties to a certain residential land use.
PROPOSED COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN AMENDMENT
CFPA2022-0002 will change the land use designation of two properties totaling 7.40 acres from Low Density Residential to Medium Density Residential. A summary of the properties is provided in the following table.
Property Address Acres Existing CFP
Designation
Proposed CFP
Designation
Existing Land Use
1220 W. Ontario
Avenue
2.00 Low Density
Residential, 3 to 6
units per acre
Medium Density
Residential, 6 to
15 units per acre
Evangelical
Friends Church
Southwest
2880 California
Avenue
5.40 Low Density
Residential, 3 to 6
units per acre
Medium Density
Residential, 6 to
15 units per acre
United Methodist
Church of Corona
The medium density designation would allow for multiple family units but at a density that is less than a high-density designation. Duplexes and attached housing are common in a medium density designation. The churches have no plans for expansion on the undeveloped portions of the properties and intend to operate within the existing buildings. Any future housing on the properties would coexist with the existing churches.
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File #: 23-0087
The following table describes the land uses surrounding the subject properties.
Property Location North East South West
1220 W. Ontario
Avenue
Single Family
Residential
Southern CA
Edison Substation
& Single Family
Residential
Single Family
Residential
Religious Facility
(Bishop Church of
Latter-Day Saints)
2880 California
Avenue
Religious Facility
(Congregation
Beth Shalom)
Single Family
Residential
Santiago High
School
City park site
Given the adjacent and nearby land uses of each site, amending the land use on the properties from single family to medium density is a compatible transition. Additionally, Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is separated from the single family residential properties by a 6-foot high block wall and United Methodist Church of Corona is separated from the single family residences by California Avenue. A block wall is also located along the street side of California Avenue.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR CFPA2022-0002
1. The City prepared a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Corona Housing Element Rezoning Program in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the City of Corona General Plan Housing Element Rezoning Program Update Project. This document is prepared in conformance with CEQA (California PRC Section 21000, et seq.) and the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations [CCR], Title 14, Section 15000, et seq.).
The Supplemental EIR adequately addresses impacts from minor changes to the Corona General Plan Technical Update 2020 Final EIR certified on June 3, 2020, by the City Council.
As required by CEQA, the Supplemental EIR only contains information necessary to analyze the project modifications, changed circumstances, or new information that triggered the need for additional environmental review. The Supplemental EIR only contains the information necessary to make the previous EIR adequate for the project as revised. The Supplemental EIR indicated that the Housing Element Rezoning Program will not result in impacts not already identified in the Corona General Plan Technical Update 2020 Final EIR. The adoption of the Supplemental EIR is being considered with the adoption of GPA2022-0002.
2. Pursuant to Section 3.9.4.7 of the South Corona Community Facilities Plan, the following findings are made in reference to CFPA2022-0002:
a. The amendment is consistent with General Plan Goal H-1 because it establishes a residential land use that help promote a balance of housing types for corresponding affordability levels that assist in meeting the demand for housing within all economic segments of the City. b. The amendment is consistent with the intent of the Community Facilities Plan because the master plan balances land uses and infrastructure improvements to ensure growth is properly supported by required public services and the infrastructure improvements required by the CFP have been properly constructed.
c. The amendment is consistent with the CFP’s Village 1 concept as the proposed medium density City of Corona Page 3 of 4 Printed on 1/18/2023 powered by Legistar™
File #: 23-0087
c. The amendment is consistent with the CFP’s Village 1 concept as the proposed medium density residential land use exists within other areas of this plan. d. The properties have access from Ontario Avenue and California Avenue, which are improved public streets.
e. The amendment will not affect public service levels as the properties were intended for development based on the CFP land use plan and are partially developed with existing churches.
f. The amendment maintains the public and private open space system established by the CFP. g. The amendment does disrupt the financial feasibility of the CFP.
FISCAL IMPACT
CFPA2022-0002 is a city-initiated application. No application fee was paid to process this request.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 20 day public notice was mailed to all property owners within a 500-foot radius of the project site, as well as advertised in the Sentinel Weekly News. As of the preparation of this report, staff has received several emails and phone calls from property owners near sites being rezoned or from owners that have property being rezoned. Most of the calls required further clarification on the permitted land uses under the rezoning program and if the existing land uses on the properties affected by the rezoning are allowed to be continued. Staff confirmed that existing land uses are allowed to remain on the property and that the rezoning program is an opportunity for redevelopment to allow housing should the owner decide to exercise that option in the future.
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Exhibit 1 - Proposed Amendment
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CFPA2022-0002
Land Use Exhibits
Land Use Density
E (Estate) 0-3 dwelling units per acre
L (Low) 3-6 dwelling units per acre
LM (Low Medium) 3-8 dwelling units per acre
M (Medium) 6-15 dwelling units per
acre
P (Park) --
S (School) --