ORDINANCE NO. 3360
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF CORONA,
CALIFORNIA, ADDING CHAPTER 17.31 (AFFORDABLE
HOUSING OVERLAY ZONE) TO TITLE 17 (ZONING) OF
THE CORONA MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH
REGULATIONS FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
OVERLAY ZONE (ZTA2023-0001).
WHEREAS, Article XI, § 7 of the California Constitution authorizes cities to make and enforce within their jurisdictional limits ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws to protect and promote the public health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; and WHEREAS, on June 3, 2020, the City Council of the City of Corona (“City”) adopted Resolution No. 2020-036 certifying a Final Environmental Impact Report (“Final EIR”) for the Corona General Plan Technical Update (SCH # 2018081039), made findings of fact and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, on November 3, 2021, the City Council of the City of Corona (“City”) adopted Resolution No. 2021-121 adopting an Addendum to the Final EIR and approving GPA2021-001, an amendment to the City’s General Plan to update the Housing Element for the 6 th Cycle covering planning period 2021-2029 (“2021-2029 Housing Element Update”); and WHEREAS, as part of the implementation of the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update, the City is required to accommodate the planning of a sufficient number of low- and moderate-income households in the City in order to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (“RHNA”), which allocates regional housing needs by income level among member jurisdictions within the Southern California Association of Governments (“SCAG”); and WHEREAS, the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update includes an inventory or list of housing sites at sufficient densities to accommodate a specific number of units at various levels of affordability to satisfy the RHNA assigned to the City by SCAG (“Housing Sites Inventory”); and
WHEREAS, in order to accommodate development of low- and moderate-income units, the Housing Sites Inventory identifies certain properties that are intended to be rezoned to higher density residential or an Affordable Housing Overlay (“AHO”) zone, which is a new zoning designation that the City proposes to establish in order to create by-right development standards for affordable housing projects; and
WHEREAS, on January 23, 2023, the Planning and Housing Commission of the City of Corona (“Planning Commission”) conducted a duly noticed public hearing and recommended that the City Council add Chapter 17.31 (Affordable Housing Overlay Zone) to 2 Title 17 (Zoning) of the Corona Municipal Code (“CMC”) to create and establish regulations for the AHO zone (ZTA 2023-0001) (“Zone Text Amendment”); and WHEREAS, the Zone Text Amendment was submitted in conjunction with: (1) GPA2022-0002, an amendment to change the land use designation on various properties to allow certain residential land uses consistent with the Housing Sites Inventory; (2) CFPA2022-0002, an amendment to the South Corona Community Facilities Plan Amendment to change the designation on 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; (3) CZ2022-0003, a change of zone on various properties to allow certain residential land uses consistent with the Housing Sites Inventory; (4) SPA2022-0003, an amendment to various specific plans to change the land use on certain properties to allow certain residential land uses consistent with the Housing Sites Inventory; and (5) Resolution No. 2023-014 adopting the High Density Residential and Mixed-Use Objective Development Standards and Design Guidelines (collectively referred to herein as the “Housing Element Rezoning Project”); and
WHEREAS, on March 1, 2023, as the first action on the Housing Element Rezoning Project, the City Council approved Resolution No. 2023-010 certifying the Final Supplement to the Final EIR for the Housing Element Rezoning Project (“Final SEIR”), adopted findings and a statement of overriding considerations, and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program, all in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.) ("CEQA"), the State CEQA Guidelines and the City of Corona Local CEQA Guidelines, which included an analysis of the environmental impacts of this Zone Text Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Final SEIR concluded that implementation of the Housing Element Rezoning Project could result in significant and unavoidable negative environmental effects despite the imposition of all feasible mitigation measures identified in the Final SEIR and the City Council determined that the benefits of the Housing Element Rezoning Project outweigh the unavoidable adverse impacts as documented in the Statement of Overriding Considerations included in Resolution No. 2023-010; and
WHEREAS, on March 1, 2023, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing at which all persons wishing to testify in connection with this Zone Text Amendment were heard and this Zone Text Amendment was comprehensively reviewed.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CORONA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. CEQA Findings. As the decision-making body for this Zone Text Amendment, the City Council has reviewed and considered the information contained in the Final SEIR and the administrative record for this Zone Text Amendment, including all written and oral evidence provided during the public hearing. Based upon the facts and information contained in the Final SEIR and the entire administrative record before it, the City Council hereby makes and adopts the following findings:
3 A. The Final SEIR and the administrative record have been completed in completed in compliance with CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines, the City of Corona Local CEQA Guidelines and other applicable law.
B. The Final SEIR contains a complete and accurate reporting of the environmental impacts associated with the Zone Text Amendment and reflects the independent judgment and analysis of the City Council.
C. All mitigation measures applicable to this Zone Text Amendment shall be a condition of approval for the Zone Text Amendment and are incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 2. Zoning Findings. Based on the entire record before the City Council and all written and oral evidence presented to the City Council, the City Council hereby makes and adopts the following findings:
A. The proposed Zone Text Amendment is consistent with the General Plan and applicable specific plans for the following reasons:
1. ZTA 2023-0001 is consistent with Housing Goal H-1 because it establishes land use designations on certain properties that will help promote a balance of housing types for corresponding affordability levels, which will assist in meeting the demand for housing within all economic segments of the City.
2. ZTA2023-0001 is consistent with Housing Policy H-1.5 because it creates a zoning designation, along with commensurate development standards, that encourages flexibility in permitted land use types, responds to changing market forces and provides opportunities for higher density residential development, mixed-use residential/commercial development, and transit-oriented residential development in appropriate areas of the City.
B. The proposed Zone Text Amendment is consistent with Title 17 of the Corona Municipal Code for the following reason:
1. ZTA 2023-0001 is consistent with the intent of Title 17 of the Corona Municipal Code to regulate zoning and development standards for the purpose of protecting public health, safety and welfare and to maintain and improve quality of life for the residents of Corona in that it establishes a new zoning designation with supporting development standards.
C. The proposed Zone Text Amendment will provide for the public health, safety and welfare for the following reason:
1. ZTA 2023-0001 includes development standards that are intended to provide orderly development of property that is developed pursuant to the AHO zone. 4 SECTION 3. Zoning Text Amendment. Chapter 17.31 (Affordable Housing Overlay Zone) is hereby added to Title 17 (Zoning) of the CMC to read as set forth in Exhibit “A” attached to this Ordinance and incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 4. Official Record. The documents and materials that constitute the record of proceedings on which these findings have been based are located at the City of Corona City Hall, 400 S. Vicentia Avenue, Corona, California 92882. The custodian for these records is the Planning and Development Director of the City of Corona.
SECTION 5. Severability. If any provision or clause of this Ordinance or any application of it to any person, firm, organization, partnership or corporation is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are declared to be severable.
SECTION 6. Effective Date. The Mayor shall sign this Ordinance and the City Clerk shall attest thereto and shall within fifteen (15) days of its adoption cause it, or a summary of it, to be published in a general circulation newspaper in the City of Corona. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 15th day of March, 2023. ___________________________________
Mayor of the City of Corona, California
ATTEST:
____________________________________
City Clerk of the City of Corona, California
5 CERTIFICATION
I, Sylvia Edwards, Clerk of the City of Corona, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was regularly introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Corona, California, duly held the 1
st day of March, 2023 and thereafter at a regular meeting held on the 15th day of March, 2023, it was duly passed and adopted by the following vote of the Council:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAINED:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Corona, California, this 15th day of March, 2023. _______________________________________
City Clerk of the City of Corona, California
[SEAL]
6 SUMMARY
On March 1, 2023, the Corona City Council will consider adding Chapter 17.31 (Affordable Housing Overlay Zone) to Title 17 (Zoning) of the Corona Municipal Code to create and establish regulations for the AHO zone. A certified copy of the full text of this proposed ordinance amendment is posted at the City Clerk’s Office.
The City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Corona City Hall located at 400 South Vicentia Avenue. The City Clerk is located in Suite 115 of the City Hall near the north entrance.