DATE: 05/21/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2025-201
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTERS 16.04, 16.12, 16.20 AND 16.24 OF THE CORONA
MUNICIPAL CODE TO DELETE AND UPDATE OUTDATED LANGUAGE AND TO AUTHORIZE
THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE SUBDIVISION IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENTS AND TO
ACCEPT AND RELEASE SECURITY FOR SUBDIVISION IMPROVEMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve an ordinance amending Title 16 of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC). Title 16 of the CMC governs the City’s subdivision regulations according to the state’s Subdivision Map Act for subdividing property. The amendment adds language to Chapter 16.24, Improvement Requirements, granting the City Manager the authority to execute subdivision improvement agreements for the construction of the required infrastructure improvements associated with subdivisions, accept the financial security according to the payment calculation required by the ordinance, and release the financial security upon the completion of the improvements and acceptance by the City Engineer. Additionally, outdated language that is no longer relevant is being deleted or amended in certain chapters of Title 16.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council introduce, by title only, and waive full reading of consideration of Ordinance No. 3417, first reading of an ordinance amending Chapters 16.04, 16.12, 16.20 and 16.24 of the Corona Municipal Code to delete and update outdated language and to authorize the City Manager to approve subdivision improvement agreements and to accept and release security for subdivision improvements.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City follows the requirements of the Subdivision Map Act, including the process that the legislative body of the city, which is the City Council, approves subdivision improvement agreements, accepts the financial security for the improvements to be constructed for the subdivision, and releases the financial security once the subdivision improvements are completed and accepted by the City.
The Subdivision Map Act, according to Government Code Sections 66462(d) and 66499.7(j), gives the City Council the authority, by ordinance, to authorize a designated city official to review and approve any improvement agreements between the City and the subdivider, and release the security provided by the subdivider upon the completion and acceptance of the improvements by the city.
In 2021, the City formed a permit ad-hoc committee to evaluate the development permit process to create an effective and streamlined process for contractors and developers. One item identified by the ad-hoc committee was to establish the same ministerial approval that is used for improvement agreements and the acceptance of financial security for nonsubdivision projects for subdivision projects tied to improvements related to the Subdivision Map Act. Currently, improvement agreements and the financial security posted with the City for non-subdivision projects are approved ministerially by staff. These projects are not delayed in being issued construction improvement permits once the plans are approved because the execution of the improvement agreements and financial security are not delayed by waiting for approval from the City Council.
The amendments proposed to the city’s Subdivision Code, Title 16, comply with Government Code Sections 66462(d) and 66499.7(j) of the Subdivision Map Act, and would enact the same practice used for non-subdivision projects for executing improvement agreements and posting financial security, which is done according to the requirements of the City’s ordinance. The difference is the approval is ministerial by the City Manager or their designee instead of the City Council. The City Manager would also have the authority to release the posted security after the City Engineer’s acceptance of the improvements.
ANALYSIS:
The CMC Chapters being amended include the following:
• Chapter 16.04, General Provisions,
• Chapter 16.12, Tentative Map,
• Chapter 16.20, Parcel Map, and
• Chapter 16.24, Improvement Requirements.
Chapter 16.04, General Provisions.
This chapter covers the general provisions of the City’s subdivision ordinance codified in Title 16 of the CMC and supplements the Subdivision Map Act. The definition section of this chapter is amended to add certain definitions that are used throughout Title 16. Also, the information in Section 16.04.050 is being deleted in its entirety because it is no longer relevant as the temporary change in the collection of development impact fees expired on June 30, 2014.
Chapter 16.12, Tentative Map and Chapter 16.20, Parcel Map The amendments to these chapters involve sentence structure revisions in certain sections and additional descriptions based on the City’s actual practice in processing tentative maps and parcel maps.
Chapter 16.24, Improvement Requirements
This chapter is renamed Subdivision Improvement Requirements. The amendment adds updated text regarding improvement requirements, financial security requirements, and improvement agreements. The amendment also authorizes the City Manager or their designee to execute improvement agreements, accept the financial security for the improvements according to the requirements in this chapter, and release the financial security posted for the improvements after the City Engineer’s acceptance of the improvements. The requirement for the public improvement agreement and financial security remain the same as it was when it was originally approved by the City Council.
Excess sections that were reserved within this chapter but do not contain any information are being deleted in addition to Sections 16.24.150 through 16.24.166. The latter sections are related to the public improvements associated with Assessment District No. 79-2, for Northeast Corona. This assessment district matured in 2003, and the improvements have been constructed.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The proposed text amendment does not result in a financial impact.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is simply a text amendment to update the city’s process described in the Subdivision Code in Title 16 of the CMC. There is no possibility that this activity will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Ordinance No. 3417
2. Exhibit 2 – CMC Chapter 16.04 redlines
3. Exhibit 3 – CMC Chapter 16.12 redlines
4. Exhibit 4 - CMC Chapter 16.20 redlines
5. Exhibit 5 - CMC Chapter 16.24 redlines