DATE: 02/04/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-48
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 2022-0007 TO ALLOW FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
A NEW FOUNDRY USE ON PROPERTY DEVELOPED WITH AN EXISTING INDUSTRIAL OPERATION, LOCATED AT 204 N. SMITH AVENUE IN THE M-2 ZONE (APPLICANT: AAKASH DOSHI FOR ALMEX USA, INC.)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to affirm the decision by the Planning and Housing Commission in granting Conditional Use Permit 2022-0007 (CUP2022-0007) to establish a foundry operation within a new 14,095-square-foot, two-story manufacturing building at 204 N. Smith Avenue. The 2.46-acre site is zoned M-2 (General Manufacturing), and is developed with an existing manufacturing and warehousing facility operated by Almex USA, Inc. The foundry would be an expansion of the existing operations.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting CUP2022-0007, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Applicant, Aakash Doshi, representing industrial supplier business Almex USA, Inc., is pursuing a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to expand daily operations to include a new foundry use within an existing industrial development located at 204 N. Smith Avenue.
The property is zoned M-2 (General Manufacturing), which is intended for most common manufacturing and industrial uses and processes, including the treatment, processing and fabrication of goods from raw materials. A foundry use in the M-2 zone requires approval of a CUP, which is subject to discretionary review by the Planning and Housing Commission. Pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 17.44.030, a “foundry” is defined as the following:
“The operation of which shall consist solely of the casting of processed ferrous and/or nonferrous metal into temporary or semipermanent, or permanent molds, including casting by injection under low pressures and casting using direct chill technology, subject to the following limitations:
(1) All such operations shall be conducted wholly within a building and meeting the performance standards set forth in Ch. 17.84
(2) Any temporary storage of materials or equipment outside any building in which the use is being conducted shall be screened from view from any and all public rights-of-way.”
The Applicant is also proposing to enclose and convert an existing canopy on the project site into a 14,095-square-foot, two-story building to house the proposed foundry operation. The new building is permitted by right in the M-2 zone and, therefore, is not part of the scope of the CUP. The building was reviewed by city staff through the City’s ministerial Development Plan Review (DPR2022-0027) process in November 2022 and is currently in the plan-check (building permit) stage. Approval will not be issued until the CUP has been approved.
Additionally, the applicant is in the process of obtaining a building permit for the construction of a new 12,057-square-foot solar canopy at the rear (western portion) of the property. The solar canopy is also not part of the scope of the CUP and will be permitted separately.
The applicant’s Site Plan is attached as Exhibit 2, with additional plans included with the Planning and Housing Staff Report packet in Exhibit 3. The new, two-story building and solar canopy are identified as Building C and Canopy D, respectively, on the site plan.
An existing office building (Building A) is located at the front of the property near Smith Avenue, and an existing manufacturing and warehouse building (Building B) is located behind the office building. Table A (below) summarizes the existing and proposed structures. Table B provides a breakdown of the floor areas for the new foundry building (Building C).
Table A – Onsite Development
Building/Structure Square Footage (SF) Status
A 1,429 SF Existing
B 26,393 SF Existing
Building C 14,095 SF Under Review via B25-00214
Canopy D 12,057 SF Under Construction via B25-00541
Table B – Proposed Building C Floor Plan (To House Proposed Foundry) Floor Square Footage (SF) Description
First Floor
11,732 SF Manufacturing
557 SF Quality check lab mold room
526 SF Panel room
-- Two melting furnaces and additional
casting/refining systems
Second Floor 525 SF Office space
649 SF Conference room/offices
ANALYSIS:
The proposed project would establish a new foundry use at an existing industrial/ warehousing facility. As stated, the requested CUP is limited to the new use and does not include the Applicant’s additional site development activities (i.e., Building C and solar Canopy D). The following sections discuss the proposed foundry use in greater detail.
Operations
The operation of the foundry will comprise the receiving and storing of aluminum blocks (ingots) within proposed Building C. Industrial equipment will then charge the aluminum with various elements, converting it to a molten state which would then be molded into a cast and transported to Building B to be cut, machined and exported. While the foundry itself would operate exclusively from proposed Building C, other onsite structures include various supporting or accessory uses, including an office (Building A), storage, fabrication, warehousing and assembly (Building B).
The floor plans and building elevations for the existing and proposed structures are provided in Exhibit 3. The plans illustrate an overall “picture’” of the site’s existing and proposed operations and building design.
Access to the project site is currently taken from Smith Avenue at the lot’s easterly extent and would remain the same with the new foundry building. To analyze and mitigate the potential for any internal circulation challenges that may arise from large trucks (used for transporting finished products from the foundry) moving into and throughout the site, a Truck Turning exhibit (Exhibit 3) was submitted for review and approved for compliance with applicable standards by the City’s Traffic Engineer.
The facility would include a small staff working across three daily shifts - the first running from 6 AM to 2 PM, the second from 2 PM to 4 PM, and the third from 4 PM onward (Table C below). Shift changeovers would cause brief overlaps, with a maximum of 16 employees onsite simultaneously.
Table C – Staffing Profile
Job Profile 1st Shift
(6AM - 2PM)
2nd Shift
(2PM - 4PM)
3rd Shift
(4PM - 12
AM)
Shop floor staff 4 2 7
Engineering/Maintenance 4 0 1
Office staff 4 2 0
Max no. of employees during any
shift 12 4 8
Parking
According to the City’s Parking Ordinance (Chapter 17.76 of the CMC), office floor area shall provide parking at a ratio of 1 space per 250 square feet of floor area (1:250).
Manufacturing (including the proposed foundry) and warehousing areas are required to be parked at a ratio of 1 space per 500 square feet of floor area (1:500). The project site currently has 39 surface parking spaces; no changes are proposed with establishment of the new foundry use. Pursuant to CMC Section 17.99.070 (B), for industrial lots zoned as M-1, M-2, M-3, or M-4 the Zoning Administrator may “defer” (reduce) required parking where it can be determined that actual demand is less than the minimum number of spaces prescribed by the CMC. While strict application of standards would otherwise result in a requirement to provide 90 parking spaces, Parking Determination PD2023- 0012 (approved in August 2025) determined that the unique staffing, hours and general operation of the Almex facility warranted a deferral of 51 parking spaces, resulting in a requirement to provide only the aforementioned 39 spaces. The Zoning Administrator determined that 39 spaces were sufficient to accommodate the operational needs of the facility, which would have a maximum of 16 employees (plus any unanticipated visitors) onsite at any given time. The site’s parking requirement is summarized in Table D.
Table D – Parking Summary for 204 N. Smith Avenue
Use Floor Area
(square
feet)
CMC
Parking
Ratio
Spaces
Required
Spaces
Provided
Office 3,238 1:250 13 ---
Manufacturing/Warehouse 38,362 1:500 77 ---
Total 41,600 90* 39**
* Minimum number required per CMC.
** Number required/provided following approval of PD2023-0012 Conditional Use Permit CUP2022-0007 is a request to establish a new foundry, a permitted use within the M-2 Zone with approval of a CUP. Staff has reviewed the proposal and determined that the use complies with the CUP requirements listed in CMC Section 17.44.030 and the findings in Section 17.92.110. The operation of the foundry will be conducted entirely indoors within an enclosed industrial building, a design that will mitigate potential issues such as noise, odors, and emissions, ultimately ensuring minimal impact on the surrounding environment and adjacent properties. There is no proposed outdoor storage of materials or equipment other than mechanical equipment associated with the foundry use. New mechanical equipment is proposed to be located at the westerly portion of the property, behind existing buildings and accordingly will not be visible from Smith Avenue.
The site has adequate parking to accommodate the operations of both existing operations and new foundry use in accordance with City’s parking requirements. Moreover, as the foundry will be situated within an area containing existing industrial development, it will not establish a new or incompatible use to the area, maintaining consistency with surrounding land uses.
Furthermore, the proposed scope of work has been reviewed by the Fire, Public Works, Police and Planning and Development Departments, including therein, the Planning, Development Services and Building Divisions, and found to be in compliance with all applicable development standards listed in the Corona Municipal Code. Pursuant to the analysis herein, findings can accordingly be made to recommend for approval of the CUP request and are listed below.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $7,799.14 to cover the cost of the Conditional Use Permit.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
To analyze the new foundry’s potential to result in adverse impacts to noise, air quality or greenhouse gases, a study (dated December 21, 2023) was prepared and submitted by consultant firm, Yorke Engineering LLC. The document utilized a variety of industry standard methodologies, including emission estimates, criteria pollutant and noise analyses, and ultimately concluded that operation of the new foundry would not exceed pollution thresholds established by either the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) or the City’s Noise Ordinance (the latter enumerated in CMC Section
17.84.040).
Staff has analyzed the proposed project for compliance with requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.31 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines, and determined it to be categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15332 (Class 32 – Infill Development Projects) in that the project proposes to establish a new foundry use within an existing industrial facility on property less than five acres that will be served by all public utilities and facilities, complies with the Light Industrial General Plan Land Use Designation and M-2 zoning, is not located within an environmentally sensitive area, and is not anticipated to result in significant effects related to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. Additionally, none of the six exceptions to exemptions cited under Section 15300.2 are applicable.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of January 12, 2026, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Vernon/Siqueland) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission find the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 and adopt Resolution No. 2679 GRANTING CUP2022-0007, 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: BRENDAN DALDE, ASSOCIATE PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA VANIAN, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: DANNY CASTRO, INTERIM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Locational and Zoning Map
2. Exhibit 2 – Site plan for Conditional Use Permit 2022-0007
3. Exhibit 3 – Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 – Draft minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of January 12, 2026