DATE: 03/04/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-67
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT: WAIVER ON THE UNDERGROUNDING OF EXISTING OVERHEAD UTILITY WIRES LOCATED ALONG 1245 WEST ONTARIO AVENUE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This staff report asks the City Council to consider waving the Municipal Code requirement to underground existing overhead utility wires located at 1245 West Ontario Avenue.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: That the City Council grant a waiver from Section 15.60.080 of the Corona Municipal Code for the undergrounding of poles and overhead utility wires located along the frontage of 1245 West Ontario Avenue.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY: The property owner, Israel Perez, of 1245 West Ontario Ave, plans to construct a 480-square-foot garage expansion, a 920-square-foot secondfloor addition, and a 200-square-foot deck on the second floor of the existing residence on the 0.46-acre lot. The property is located along West Ontario Avenue, between Oak Avenue and South Lincoln Avenue.
CMC Section 15.60.080 requires overhead wires that transmit less than 34,000 volts to be relocated underground when a new building or structure is proposed, or an addition is made to an existing structure or building. The applicant submitted a request to the City on February 10, 2026, requesting that the City Council grant a waiver from undergrounding utility poles and overhead wires running across the property on West Ontario Avenue. The applicant has indicated that overhead wires will continue to exist above ground beyond the project boundaries, and that the cost of this public improvement would be financially infeasible given the project's scope.
ANALYSIS: Section 15.60.080 of the CMC recognizes that above-ground utility wires exist within the City and are considered nonconforming to the requirements of CMC Section 15.60.030. Section 15.60.030 prohibits above-ground poles, wires, and associated structures, irrespective of the use or proposed use of the structure or building it is intended to serve. However, CMC Section 15.60.060 allows the City Council to grant a waiver of this requirement if it finds that undergrounding the utility wires would be unreasonable, impractical, and cause undue hardship to the applicant or public.
Staff has determined that the finding exists for the City Council to grant the waiver for the following reasons:
a) The overhead wires will continue to remain above ground beyond the boundaries of the project site along West Ontario Avenue.
b) The approximate cost to underground electrical conduit and remove the power poles has been estimated to be $60,000, causing financial hardship to the applicant.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The applicant has paid the Utility Underground Waiver Request fee of $2,013.
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. There is no possibility that this action on granting a waiver to the requirement within the Corona Municipal Code will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: BRYAN OSEGUEDA, ASSISTANT ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: CHRIS HORN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: BRETT CHANNING, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Waiver Request Letter
2. Exhibit 2 – Pole Location
3. Exhibit 3 – Location Map