DATE: 02/05/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2025-02
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT 2020-0006 TO CHANGE AND REORGANIZE THE
ZONING DESIGNATIONS WITHIN THE GREEN RIVER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN, AND
MAKE CORRESPONDING REVISIONS TO THE MAPS, TABLES, ILLUSTRATIONS AND TEXT THROUGHOUT THE SPECIFIC PLAN DOCUMENT (APPLICANT: PSIP WR
GREEN RIVER LLC)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve Specific Plan Amendment 2020-0006 (SPA2020-0006) as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission amending the Green River Ranch Specific Plan. SPA2020-0006 will redistribute the existing land uses designated in the specific plan, rename the existing Mixed Use (Industrial and Commercial) designation Business Park Industrial, eliminate the Estate Residential designation, and add an Open Space designation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve Specific Plan Amendment 2020-0006, as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission.
b. Introduce, by title only, and waive full reading of consideration of Ordinance No. 3409, first reading of an ordinance approving an amendment to the Green River Ranch Specific Plan (SP00-001) to change and reorganize the land use designations and make corresponding revisions to the maps, tables, illustrations and text throughout the Green River Ranch Specific Plan (SPA2020-0006).
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The purpose of SPA2020-0006 is to facilitate the development of a 49.31-acre light industrial business park consisting of five warehouse/industrial buildings totaling 746,167 square feet. The project site is part of the Green River Ranch Specific Plan that was originally approved by the City Council on February 7, 2001, encompassing approximately 165.33 acres of undeveloped land located on Green River Road, between Fresno Road and Dominguez Ranch Road.
The Green River Ranch Specific Plan was approved to permit commercial retail and service uses, light industrial and warehouse uses, and residential. The proposed amendment continues to allow the same land uses already permitted by the specific plan but will eliminate the residential land use and replace it with open space.
ANALYSIS:
SPA2020-0006 will amend the Green River Ranch Specific Plan land use plan and corresponding maps, tables, exhibits and text. The amendments to the land use designations are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1
Existing and Proposed Green River Ranch Specific Plan Land Use Summary Existing
Zoning Designations and Acreages
Proposed
Zoning Designations and Acreages
Mixed Use (Industrial/Commercial)
59.01 acres
Business Park Industrial
49.31 acres
General Commercial
8.12 acres
General Commercial
5.50 acres
Estate Residential
98.2 acres
Open Space General
103.73 acres
The land use changes rename the Mixed Use (MU) designation Business Park Industrial (BPI), eliminate the Estate Residential (ER) designation, and add an Open Space (OS) designation. The MU designation permitted commercial service uses and light industrial uses, including warehouses. The new BPI designation permits the same uses that were allowed in the MU designation. The ER designation is being eliminated from the specific plan and replaced by the OS designation. Approximately 80.73 acres of the OS designation will be preserved as natural open space and dedicated to the Riverside Conservation Agency to support the preservation according to the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). Approximately 23 acres of the open space adjacent to the BPI designation will be used for the planting of oak trees, water detention basins and some grading to facilitate future development in the BPI designation. Manufactured, graded slopes created within the 23 acres will be relandscaped.
Table 2 identifies the planning areas of the specific plan and corresponding land use.
Table 2
Proposed Green River Ranch Specific Plan Land Use Summary Proposed
Zoning per
SPA2020-
0006
Proposed
Planning
Area
Proposed
Acreage
Permitted Uses
Business Park
Industrial
(BPI)
1, 2, 3 49.31 Business park and light industrial uses.
General
Commercial
(GC)
4 5.50 Mix of retail, commercial service,
restaurant, and freeway-oriented service
uses.
Open Space
General (OS)
5 20.39 Open space
Open Space
General (OS)
6 83.34 Open space, natural.
Tables, Maps, Illustrations and Other Revisions
Table 2 of Specific Plan – Permitted Uses: Table 2 lists the permitted, conditionally permitted uses, and nonpermitted uses for the specific plan. The amendments to Table 2 add the BPI and OS designations. It is worth noting that hotels and motor inns, originally allowed by a conditional use permit will be removed from the table, and restaurants with drive-through services will be changed from permitted to a conditional use permit as a result of this amendment. Table 3 of the Specific Plan (Development Standards): Table 3 contains the development standards (i.e., setbacks, building height limit, etc.) for the zoning designations. Minimal changes are proposed to Table 3 with the BPI and OS designations being added. The BPI designation will retain the existing MU development standards, except that the existing building height limit of 80 feet and 6 stories will be reduced to 55 feet and three stories. Maps and Illustrations: All of the maps (drainage, water, sewer, landscaping, etc.) throughout the document are being updated with new drawings that depict the new land use boundaries and planning areas proposed by SPA2020-0006.
Additionally, the conceptual illustrations that depict certain features within the specific plan such as the project entrance, streetscapes, project entry signage, and typical parking lot designs are being updated. The revised specific plan document also includes an updated artist’s rendering of the applicant’s development. Plant Palette: The plant palette for the specific plan is being updated to include only drought resistant plant materials. The plant palette has been reviewed by the Fire Department for consistency with the types of plant materials that are allowed by the Fire Department’s Vegetation Management Guidelines and the project’s fuel modification plan.
Signage: Project identification signage within the specific plan is being revised to allow for various types of signs. The current specific plan permits up to 18 freestanding signs (pylon and monument). The amendment will reduce the number of freestanding signs (pylon and monument) to nine and reduce the maximum height by 35 feet for pylon signs. Table 3 summarizes the signage regulations of the specific plan.
Table 3
Proposed Green River Ranch Specific Plan Sign Program
Quantity Type of
Sign
Location Maximum
Height
Maximum
Sign Area
Allowable
Advertisement
1 Freeway
Pylon Sign
PA 4 (GC) 45 ft. 250 sq. ft. Name of center
and up to 3
tenants
2 Major
Project
Entry Sign
At the entrance
of Private A
Street, within PA
1 & 2 (BPI)
6 ft. 80 sq. ft. Name of center
only
1 Minor
Project
Entry
Corner of Green
River/Dominguez
Ranch Rd, within
PA 2 (BPI)
6 ft. 50 sq. ft. Name of center
only
5 Tenant
Monument
Sign
PA 1 & 2 (BPI)
PA 4 (GC)
6 ft. 50 sq. ft. Name of center
and up to 3
tenants
Total = 9
California Housing Accountability Act
The state’s Housing Accountability Act (Government Code Section 65589.5) was amended in 2019 to include the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Government Code Section 66300). The Housing Crisis Act of 2019 requires cities to maintain the residential capacity that existed at the time of adoption of the legislation to ensure a “no net loss” in the zoning for residential units. Cities are allowed to change a General Plan land use designation or rezone residential properties to a non-residential land use designation, or rezone to a less intense residential land use designation or zone only if the City concurrently changes the land use designation or rezones another parcel to make up for the shortfall in housing units lost under the previous General Plan land use change or zoning.
However, Section 66300(e)(4) provides that the Housing Crisis Act does not apply to a housing development project located within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). Because the proposed project involves a housing development project or residential zoning on a site that is located entirely within a VHFHS Zone, the Housing Crisis Act does not apply to SPA2020-0006, allowing the ER designation to be eliminated without it being replaced elsewhere in the city.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fee of $7,369 to cover the cost of the Specific Plan Amendment.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
In accordance with Section 15162 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the City prepared a draft Subsequent EIR (SEIR) to the certified Green River Ranch Specific Plan Final EIR (February 7, 2001) to address the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project, which includes a General Plan Amendment, GPA2020-0002, in conjunction with the amendment to the Green River Ranch Specific Plan (SPA2020-0006), and the proposed 49.31-acre light industrial business park development of the specific plan. The SEIR also includes the relocation of Proposed Constrained Linkage 1 (PCL-1) of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), which is located south, and generally east of the project site.
The City Council’s previous action on GPA2020-0002, considered a resolution adopting the findings and certifying the Final SEIR for the Green River Ranch Specific Plan Amendment & Business Park Industrial Development and Relocation of Proposed Constrained Linkage 1 of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (SCH # 2022080640). The Final SEIR concluded that implementation of the proposed project could result in significant and unavoidable negative environmental effects despite the imposition of all feasible mitigation measures identified in the Final SEIR. The City Council determined that the benefits of the proposed project outweigh the unavoidable adverse impacts as documented in the Statement of Overriding Considerations included in the resolution certifying the Final SEIR.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of November 25, 2024, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Alexander/Longwell) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend approval of SPA2020-0006 to the City Council based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit
3. PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Ordinance No. 3409
2. Exhibit 2 – Planning and Housing Commission staff report
3. Exhibit 3 – Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of November 25, 2024