DATE: 09/17/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2025-359
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
TENTATIVE TRACT MAP 38934 TO SUBDIVIDE 2.86 ACRES FOR RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM PURPOSES LOCATED AT 1717 VIA DEL RIO IN THE R-3 MULTIPLEFAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE (APPLICANT: MERITAGE HOMES OF CALIFORNIA, INC.)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve Tentative Tract Map 38934 (TTM 38934) to create one lot for residential condominium purposes to facilitate the development of 57 townhouse condominiums, and four lettered lots for water quality facilities on 2.86 acres located at 1717 Via Del Rio. The zoning of the project site is R-3 Multiple Family Residential, which permits residential condominiums by a conditional use permit. TTM 38934 will allow the townhouse condominiums to be sold to individual proprietors. The Planning and Housing Commission at its meeting on August 25, 2025, recommended approval of TTM 38934 to the City Council.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council approve Tentative Tract Map 38934 based on the findings and conditions of approval as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The project site is 2.86 acres and contains a church and two existing telecommunications poles. The zoning of the project site is R-3 Multiple Family Residential, and the General Plan is High Density Residential (HDR), which allows a density of 15 to 36 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The site is surrounded by single family and multiple family residential developments, with Coronita Elementary School bordering the site to the northwest.
The applicant, Meritage Homes of California Inc., is proposing to demolish the existing church building and develop 57 townhouse condominiums on the project site. The development will consist of 54 units for above moderate income households and three units for very low income households. In conjunction with TTM 38934, the applicant is processing an Affordable Housing Density Bonus Agreement (AHDB2024-0001) with the City that requests certain waivers and a concession from the City’s development standards to support the development of the very low income units within the project. A Conditional Use Permit (CUP2024-0003) is also being processed to establish the townhouse condominiums on the project site in the R-3 zone.
ANALYSIS:
Lot 1 of TTM 38934 is 2.82 acres and is for the construction of the 57 townhouse condominiums, including the associated parking spaces, private alleys/drive aisles, landscaping and common open space areas. The existing telecommunications towers would also be located within Lot 1 and will remain on the project site with the proposed development. Lot 1 meets the R-3 zone’s minimum lot area, width, and depth requirements, shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Lot 1 Summary
Development
Standard
R-3 Zone
Requirement
Proposed
Minimum Lot Area 7,200 SF 122,839.2 SF (2.82 acres)
Minimum Lot Width 60 feet 200’+
Minimum Lot Depth 70 feet 400’+
The four lettered lots, Lots A – D, total 0.04 acres and are for drainage infrastructure (modular wetland and basins) to support the project. The applicant will be required to establish a homeowner’s association (HOA) for the maintenance of these lots in perpetuity and the maintenance of the other common facilities of the development. Table 2 below summarizes the size of the lettered lots.
Table 2 Letter Lot Summary
Lot Square Footage (SF) Acreage Description
A 162 SF 0.0004 Modular Wetland System
B 857 SF 0.020 Basin along Via Del Rio
C 526 SF 0.012 Basin at intersection of Via Del Rio and Avenida Del Vista
D 545 SF 0.013 Basin along Avenida Del Vista
TTM 38934 proposes to establish 30-foot-wide easements within Lot 1 for ingress/egress and public utility purposes. The easements coincide with the new drive aisles shown per CUP2024-0003 to provide vehicular access to the garages of the dwellings and guest parking. TTM 38934 also proposes to vacate three existing easements and expand an existing easement to allow continued access to the existing telecommunications facilities from Avenida Del Vista.
Access and Circulation
Vehicular access to the project site will be provided by two new driveways, located on Avenida Del Vista and Via Del Rio, and leading to internal drive aisles circulating within the development.
Onsite Utility and Drainage Improvements
Water and sewer service to the project site will be provided by the City of Corona. The project will connect to an 8-inch diameter water line and an 8-inch diameter sewer line.
To treat stormwater runoff from the project site, three underground bio-retention basins and one modular wetland system would capture, treat, and slow stormwater runoff before discharging into the City’s storm drain system. Electricity would be provided to the project by Southern California Edison (SCE).
Public Improvements
The General Plan classifies Via Del Rio as a secondary four-lane road which has an ultimate right-of-way width of 88 feet. Avenida Del Vista is classified as a collector street which has an overall right-of-way width of 68 feet. Both streets have existing roadway pavement, curb and gutter, and a 12-foot-wide landscape parkway that includes a fivefoot sidewalk along both project frontages.
No widening is required along Avenida Del Vista; however, the applicant is required to dedicate one foot of the property’s frontage to the right-of-way for Avenida Del Vista as well as install missing landscaping within the adjacent parkway. Via Del Rio is currently fully improved to its ultimate right-of-way width and thus, no dedication or widening is warranted; however, the applicant is required to install missing landscaping within the adjacent parkway.
Concession Per Affordable Housing Density Bonus Agreement Per AHDB2024-0001, the applicant is requesting a concession from Section 15.60.080 of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) regarding the requirement to underground existing overhead utilities less than 34 KV adjacent to the project site’s frontage (Via Del Rio) when that service to a structure is enlarged or an addition is made thereto. Existing overhead utilities exist along Via Del Rio, adjacent to the project site’s frontage and beyond. The overhead utility in front of the project site also extends across Via Del Rio to a pole located in the backyard of 1801 Bern Drive. The cost of undergrounding the overhead utilities that supply power from SCE, which would also require the relocation of existing transformers, is approximately $815,000. This cost would deter the project from constructing the three affordable housing units.
Due to construction conflict, the lower overhead lines for telecommunications along Via Del Rio will be placed underground in addition to the streetlight power lines along Avenida Del Vista.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $10,712 to cover the cost of the Tentative Tract Map.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.31 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines, a Notice of Exemption has been prepared as the project qualifies as a Class 32 (Infill Development Projects) categorical exemption. The project site is less than five acres, is consistent with the site’s General Plan land use designation of HDR and applicable General Plan Policies, and the property’s R-3 zoning designation, which indicates residential development is imminent on the site. The project would not result in significant impacts relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. Moreover, none of the six exceptions to exemptions cited in Guidelines Section 15300.2 (a – f) are applicable to the proposed project. The Notice of Exemption is proposed for approval with the associated density bonus housing agreement, AHDB2024-0001, and is attached as Exhibit 6 for reference.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of August 25, 2025, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Woody/Siqueland) and carried unanimously, with Chair Longwell and Commissioner Vernon absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend approval of TTM 38934 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 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 – Site plan for Tentative Tract Map 38934
3. Exhibit 3 – Planning and Housing Commission staff report
4. Exhibit 4 – Draft minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of August 25, 2025