DATE: 03/09/2026
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-72
APPLICATION REQUEST:
V2024-0001: Variance request from § 17.86.020(C) of the Corona Municipal Code to allow parking for a proposed 3,560-square-foot medical office building on 0.32 acres to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building located at 428 W.
Grand Boulevard (APN: 117-340-019). (Applicant: Shar Alikhani, M.D. for MobiSurg Inc., 23025 Mill Creek Drive, Laguna Hills, CA 92653).
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
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. 2684 GRANTING V2024-0001 based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
PROJECT SITE SUMMARY:
Area of Project Site 0.32 acres
Existing Zoning Community Services (CS) District within the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan
Existing General Plan Mixed Use (MU-1)
Existing Land Use Vacant lot
Proposed Land Use Medical Office
Surrounding Zoning/Land
Uses
N: CS / Post Office
E: Transitional Commercial (TC) / St. Edwards Catholic Church S: CS / Dental Office
W: CS / Post Office parking lot
BACKGROUND
The applicant proposes to develop a one-story, 3,560-square-foot medical office building with new landscaping, parking, perimeter walls, and future signage on a currently vacant
0.32-acre parcel located at 428 W. Grand Boulevard. The property is in the Community Services (CS) District of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan. The project site is surrounded by the Corona Post Office to the north and west, Saint Edwards Catholic Church to the east, and a dental office to the south. The parcel was previously developed with a single family home.
The variance request (V2024-0001) is associated with an Architectural Review application (ARC2024-0001), which is for the review of the site plan, architecture, landscaping and fencing associated with the proposed medical office building. Details associated with ARC2024-0001 are provided under a separate staff report, which is being processed concurrently with this variance request for the Planning and Housing Commission’s consideration.
The project was initially reviewed by the Development Plan Review (DPR) Committee on February 16, 2023. The applicant formally submitted the Variance and Architecture Review applications to the city on January 3, 2024. The applications were reviewed by the Project and Environmental Review Committee (PRC) on January 25, 2024. Missing and revised items were subsequently submitted, and the applications were deemed complete on December 18, 2025, and scheduled for the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of February 23, 2026. Due to a lack of quorum, the applications were rescheduled to the March 9, 2026 meeting.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Code Requirement
Corona Municipal Code (CMC) § 17.86.020(C) requires the following setback to be provided for new development located on Grand Boulevard:
“17.86.020
Building setback lines are established for the following major streets:
(C) Grand Boulevard, not less than 60 feet from the centerline. Parking shall not be permitted in the setback area or between the right-of-way line and any building, structure or portion thereof.”
The project as proposed by the applicant provides a building setback of 128 feet, measured from the Grand Boulevard centerline to the medical office building, which exceeds the minimum 60-foot building setback requirement under § 17.86.020(C). The parking area is also located behind the 60-foot setback area. However, while the building and parking area meet the setback requirement, the site plan does not comply with the latter part of the code requirement regarding parking placement, which is underlined below:
“Parking shall not be permitted in the setback area or between the right-of-way line and any building, structure or portion thereof.”
The project proposes a parking lot located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the building, which places the parking in front of the building. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that parking areas are located behind the building and are not prominently visible from Grand Boulevard. Locating parking behind buildings enhances the visual quality of the streetscape, promotes a more pedestrian-oriented environment, and reinforces the traditional downtown development pattern in which buildings are situated closer to the street frontage.
Accordingly, the applicant is requesting a variance from § 17.86.020(C) to allow parking in front of the building.
Justification For Variance
CMC § 17.96.020 requires that special circumstances applicable to the subject property must exist in order for the Planning and Housing Commission to grant a variance application.
Special circumstances applicable to the subject property must relate to the size, shape, topography and location or surroundings of the subject property.
The property is physically constrained by its size, shape, and surroundings, hindering the applicant’s ability to design a site plan that places the parking lot behind the building, as required by § 17.86.020(C). The following outlines the applicant’s justification for the variance:
1. Narrow and irregular lot configuration.
The lot is trapezoidal in shape, with an average lot depth of approximately 173 feet and a frontage width of approximately 82 feet. Due to the limited width, the applicant indicates that there is insufficient area to accommodate a medical office building of functional size, required parking counts, landscape setbacks, fire access drive aisles, driveway ingress/egress; and building and life-safety code requirements, including special design requirements mandated by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information for OSHPD-3 licensed healthcare facilities. These constrains limit site planning flexibility and hinder the ability to place parking behind the building while maintaining code compliance.
2. Infill condition with only one point of access.
The property is an infill parcel surrounded by existing development on all three sides and has only one point of vehicular access from Grand Boulevard. The site lacks alley access and shared access from the adjoining properties. If the building were placed at the front of the lot with the parking behind, the parking area would effectively become “landlock”. The lot width is inadequate to accommodate a compliant driveway extending from Grand Boulevard to the rear parking area while also meeting minimum width requirements for two-way circulation, accessible parking access, and emergency vehicle access.
3. Fire Department access requirements.
Fire Department standards require that dead-end drive aisles shall be limited to a maximum length of 150 feet. If drive aisles exceed 150 feet, the drive aisle lane must be at least 28 feet wide and include a turn-around area for emergency vehicles at the end of the drive aisle. Placing the parking lot behind the building would create a deadend drive aisle over 200 feet, requiring the additional design features which would substantially reduce the buildable area of the site and impose additional layout constraints on the medical office building and parking configuration.
4. Patient and emergency access considerations.
The applicant states that providing a driveway and parking area in front of the building improves patient safety and accessibility, particularly for pediatric patients, patients with disabilities, and patients requiring assisted drop-off. Furthermore, a frontloaded access design also facilities a more direct and efficient response by EMS and emergency personnel, reducing travel distance from the public right-of-way to the building entrance.
5. Driveway spacing constraints.
The proposed driveway is located near the center of the site frontage along Grand Boulevard. This placement was determined by City staff to be most optimal because it maximizes separation from the adjacent driveways that serve the Post Office to the north and dental office to the south. The required driveway spacing standard limits alternative placement options for the driveway and influences the placement of the parking lot and onsite circulation. Given that the driveway is restricted near the center of the site’s frontage, the most feasible location for the parking area is at the front of the building.
6. Post Office encroachment on the property.
A portion of the adjacent Post Office parking lot is located immediately west of the project site. The parking lot currently encroaches into the project site by approximately three feet along the site’s entire west perimeter. This existing encroachment further constrains the site and reduces the flexibility in designing a compliant rear parking lot and circulation layout.
7. Specialized healthcare facility design requirements.
The proposed medical office building will operate as a OSHPD-3 licensed healthcare facility and is therefore subject to specialized design regulations that are administered by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information.
Examples of required design elements include having a separate front entrance for walk-in patients from the patient discharge exit; having an enclosed accessible parking space for patients who cannot reasonably enter through the front door; and providing an exterior access closet for medical gas and medical vacuum systems.
According to the applicant, accommodating these design regulations is only feasible with the building placed at the rear of the property.
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 for the project because the project qualifies as a Class 32 (InFill Development Projects) categorical exemption. The project consists of the construction of a 3,560 square foot outpatient surgery medical building on a parcel that is less than five acres surrounded by urban uses. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning, and implementation of the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality impacts. Moreover, none of the exceptions to the Categorical Exemptions listed under Section 15300.2 of the CEQA State Guidelines apply, as the project will not result in a significant cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place over time or have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, or damage a scenic highway or scenic resources within a state scenic highway. The site is not located on a hazardous waste site and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. The Notice of Exemption is attached as Exhibit 6.
FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant has paid the applicable application processing fees for the project.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 10-day bilingual (English and Spanish) public notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius of the project site, as well as advertised in the Sentinel Weekly News and posted at the project site. As of the preparation of this report, the Planning and Development Department has not received any comments from the public in response to the public notice.
STAFF ANALYSIS
Corona Municipal Code Section 17.96.020 requires that special circumstances applicable to the subject property must exist in order for the Planning and Housing Commission to grant a variance application. Special circumstances applicable to the subject property must relate to the size, shape, topography, and location or surroundings of the subject property.
Based on the analysis provided herein, the requested variance to allow parking to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the building is justified due to the existence of special physical circumstances unique to the property. The site is constrained by its narrow width, trapezoidal shape, infill location, and single vehicular access point.
These limitations are further compounded by Fire Department access requirements, driveway spacing standards, an existing off-site parking encroachment, and specialized state-mandated design regulations applicable to licensed healthcare facilities. Collectively, these conditions restrict the applicant’s ability to reasonably design the site so that parking is located to the rear of the building while maintaining compliance with applicable building, fire, accessibility, and healthcare facility requirements.
Strict application of the Corona Municipal Code would therefore deprive the property privileges enjoyed by other similarity zoned properties that are not subject to the same physical and operational constraints or located on Grand Boulevard. The variance request is not the result of actions by the applicant but rather the inherent limitations of the site and the regulatory requirements governing the proposed medical office use.
Granting the variance will not constitute a special privilege, as the approval simply enables development of the property in a manner similar to other sites in the vicinity that have parking located between Grand Boulevard and building. These include the following sites:
• U.S. Post Office – 414 W. Grand Blvd. (located to the north, adjacent to subject site) • New Hope Thrift Shop – 514 W. Grand Blvd. (located to the south of the subject site) • Grand Commercial Center – 210 W. Grand Blvd. (located to the north of the subject site)
Furthermore, the variance will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare or to the surrounding properties. The project has been reviewed by the applicable city departments and, as designed and conditioned, the project is capable of maintaining compliance with all other applicable development standards. Therefore, the Planning and Development Department recommends approval of V2024-0001, subject to the findings below and the recommended Conditions of Approval in Exhibit 3.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR V2024-0001
1. A Notice of Exemption has been prepared pursuant to Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.31 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines because the project qualifies as a Class 32 (In Fill Development Projects) categorical exemption under CEQA. The project consists of the construction of a 3,560 square foot outpatient surgery medical building on a parcel that is less than five acres, surrounded by urban uses. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning, and implementation of the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality impacts.
Moreover, none of the exceptions to the Categorical Exemptions listed under Section 15300.2 of the CEQA State Guidelines apply, as the project will not result in a significant cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place over time or have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, or damage a scenic highway or scenic resources within a state scenic highway. The site is not located on a hazardous waste site and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
2. The strict application of the terms of the zoning regulations from which the Variance is being sought deprives the subject property of privileges enjoyed by other properties in the vicinity and under identical zone classification because of the following special circumstances applicable to the property related to size, shape, topography, location or surroundings:
a. The strict application of the parking location requirement under § 17.86.020(C) of the Corona Municipal Code which prohibits parking for a proposed 3,560- square-foot medical office building to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building deprives the property owner of privileges enjoyed by other commercial properties in the area due to special circumstances that exist on the property. The site is constrained by its narrow width, trapezoidal shape, infill location, and single point of vehicular access. These limitations are further compounded by Fire Department access requirements, driveway spacing standards, an existing off-site parking encroachment, and specialized state-mandated design regulations applicable to licensed healthcare facilities. Collectively, these conditions restrict the applicant’s ability to reasonably design the site in a manner that locates the parking to the rear of the building while maintaining compliance with applicable building, fire, accessibility, and healthcare facility requirements.
3. The approval of V2024-0001 does not constitute the granting of special privilege inconsistent with the limitations upon other properties in the vicinity and zone in which subject property is located for the following reason:
a. Granting the variance will not constitute a special privilege, as the approval simply enables development of the property in a manner similar to other sites in the vicinity that have parking located between Grand Boulevard and building.
4. The Variance will not adversely affect property and the use thereof in the vicinity of subject property or the public health, safety and general welfare for the following reason:
a. Granting the variance to allow parking to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building willnotadverselyaffect surrounding property in the vicinity, as the project site is being developed in an orderly manner and provides parking in a location similar to properties within the immediate vicinity. The project has been reviewed by the applicable city departments and as designed and conditioned, the project is capable of maintaining compliance with all other applicable development standards.
Additionally, the development of this property adds new landscaping within the front setback area, new parkway landscaping, new wrought iron fencing with decorative pilasters and a new medical office facility which will enhance the surrounding properties. The existing commercial businesses located within the immediate vicinity will not adversely be affected by the development of this property. Therefore,thevariancedoesnotadverselyaffect surroundingpropertynorthepublic’shealth,safetyandgeneralwelfare.
PREPARED BY: ROCIO LOPEZ, SENIOR PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA VANIAN, PLANNING MANAGER
RECOMMENDED BY: BRETT CHANNING, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER / ACTING PLANNING
AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Exhibits:
1. Resolution No. 2684
2. Locational and Zoning Map
3. Conditions of Approval
4. Site Plan
5. Applicant’s letter (dated: 4/10/25)
6. Environmental Documentation
Case Planner: (951) 736-2293
RESOLUTION NO. 2684
APPLICATION NUMBER: V2024-0001
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING AND HOUSING
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CORONA,
CALIFORNIA, GRANTING A VARIANCE FROM
SECTION 17.86.020(C) OF THE CORONA MUNICIPAL
CODE TO ALLOW PARKING FOR A PROPOSED 3,560-
SQUARE-FOOT MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING ON 0.32
ACRES TO BE LOCATED BETWEEN THE GRAND
BOULEVARD RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE AND THE
PROPOSED BUILDING LOCATED AT 428 W. GRAND
BOULEVARD (APN: 117-340-019). (APPLICANT: SHAR
ALIKHANI, M.D. FOR MOBISURG INC.)
WHEREAS, the application to the City of Corona, California, for a Variance under the provisions of Chapter 17.96 in the Corona Municipal Code, has been duly submitted to said City's Planning and Housing Commission for the Variance request from Section
17.86.020(C) of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) to allow parking for a proposed 3,560- square-foot medical office building on 0.32 acres to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building located at 428 W. Grand Boulevard (APN: 117-340- 019); and
WHEREAS, the Variance was submitted in conjunction with Architectural Review 2024-0001 (ARC2024-0001); and
WHEREAS, the Planning and Housing Commission cancelled a noticed public hearing for V2024-0001 and ARC2024-0001 on February 23, 2026 for lack of a quorum; and WHEREAS, the Planning and Housing Commission held a re-noticed public hearing for V2024-0001 and ARC2024-0001 on March 9, 2026, as required by law; and WHEREAS, the Planning and Housing Commission finds that this project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15332 of the State CEQA Guidelines and Section 3.31 of the City of Corona Local Guidelines for RESOLUTION NO. 2684
APPLICATION NO. V2024-0001
PAGE | 2
Implementing CEQA because there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect of the environment; and
WHEREAS, after close of said hearing, the Commission by formal action, found that all the conditions necessary to granting a Variance as set forth in Corona Municipal Code Section 17.96.020 do exist in reference to V2024-0001 based on the evidence presented to the Commission during said hearing; and
WHEREAS, the Planning and Housing Commission based its recommendation to approve the V2024-0001 on certain conditions of approval and the findings set forth below.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF CORONA, CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. CEQA Findings. As the decision-making body for this V2024- 0001, the Planning and Housing Commission has determined that this project does not require further environmental assessment because the project qualifies as an exemption under CEQA per Section 15332 of the State Guidelines and Section 3.31 of the City of Corona adopted Local Guidelines for implementing CEQA. There is no evidence presented to the city that the project will have any significant effects on the environment.
SECTION 2. Variance Findings. Pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (“CMC”) section 17.96.020 and based on the entire record before the Planning and Housing Commission, including all written and oral evidence presented to the Commission, the Commission hereby makes and adopts the following findings:
1. A Notice of Exemption has been prepared pursuant to Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.31 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines because the project qualifies as a Class 32 (In Fill Development Projects) categorical exemption under CEQA. The project consists of the construction of a 3,560 square foot outpatient surgery medical building on a parcel that is less than five acres, surrounded by urban uses. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning, and implementation of the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality impacts. Moreover, none of the exceptions to the Categorical Exemptions listed under Section 15300.2 of the CEQA State Guidelines apply, as the project will not result in a significant cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place over time or have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, or damage a scenic highway or scenic resources within a state scenic highway. The site is not located on a hazardous waste site and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
2. The strict application of the terms of the zoning regulations from which the Variance is being sought deprives the subject property of privileges enjoyed by other properties in the vicinity and under identical zone classification because of the following special RESOLUTION NO. 2684
APPLICATION NO. V2024-0001
PAGE | 3
circumstances applicable to the property related to size, shape, topography, location or surroundings:
a. The strict application of the parking location requirement under § 17.86.020(C) of the Corona Municipal Code which prohibits parking for a proposed 3,560- square-foot medical office building to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building deprives the property owner of privileges enjoyed by other commercial properties in the area due to special circumstances that exist on the property. The site is constrained by its narrow width, trapezoidal shape, infill location, and single point of vehicular access.
These limitations are further compounded by Fire Department access requirements, driveway spacing standards, an existing off-site parking encroachment, and specialized state-mandated design regulations applicable to licensed healthcare facilities. Collectively, these conditions restrict the applicant’s ability to reasonably design the site in a manner that locates the parking to the rear of the building while maintaining compliance with applicable building, fire, accessibility, and healthcare facility requirements.
3. The approval of V2024-0001 does not constitute the granting of special privilege inconsistent with the limitations upon other properties in the vicinity and zone in which subject property is located for the following reason:
a. Granting the variance will not constitute a special privilege, as the approval simply enables development of the property in a manner similar to other sites in the vicinity that have parking located between Grand Boulevard and building.
4. The Variance will not adversely affect property and the use thereof in the vicinity of subject property or the public health, safety and general welfare for the following reason:
a. Granting the variance to allow parking to be located between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the proposed building will not adversely affect surrounding property in the vicinity, as the project site is being developed in an orderly manner and provides parking in a location similar to properties within the immediate vicinity. The project has been reviewed by the applicable city departments and as designed and conditioned, the project is capable of maintaining compliance with all other applicable development standards.
Additionally, the development of this property adds new landscaping within the front setback area, new parkway landscaping, new wrought iron fencing with decorative pilasters and a new medical office facility which will enhance the surrounding properties. The existing commercial businesses located within the immediate vicinity will not adversely be affected by the development of this property. Therefore, the variance does not adversely affect surrounding property nor the public’s health, safety and general welfare.
RESOLUTION NO. 2684
APPLICATION NO. V2024-0001
PAGE | 4
SECTION 3. Effective Date. V2024-0001 will not become effective until the City Council either takes no action on the report or otherwise makes a decision after a City Council initiated review.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be delivered to the City Clerk of said City and a copy thereof be sent to the applicant therefore at the address of said applicant as set forth in the application for said Variance.
LOCATIONAL & ZONING MAP
V2024-0001
428 W. GRAND BLVD.
ZONING LEGEND:
CS: Community Services
TC: Transitional Commercial
MF: Multi-Family
CS
TC
CS
MF
CS
PROJECT SITE
TC
CS TC
April 10, 2025
City of Corona
Planning and Development Department
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
Subject: DPR 2023-0010
MobiSurg Ambulatory Surgery Center ARB and Major Variance 428 W. Grand Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
Dear Members of the Planning Commission and Planning Department:
My name is Shar Alikhani, and I am a pediatric anesthesiologist with over 20 years of experience practicing in Orange County and served as the Chief of Anesthesia at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) at Mission for ten years. In 2010, I started MobiSurg, Inc., and the Pediatric and Specialty Surgery Center of Orange County to serve a specific need for pediatric patients in Orange County and Southern California. MobiSurg is an accredited surgical setting for outpatient procedures, specializing in children and adults with developmental disabilities.
MobiSurg provides a much-needed service to Orange County children and the disability community by creating a safe, state of the art surgical environment for oral surgery and minor surgical procedures.
Given the high cost of a surgery performed in the hospital and the long wait times (greater than 6-9 months), some of our patients, seen in the Laguna Hills facility, travel great distances from the Inland Empire. Recently, I acquired the property at 428 E. Grand Blvd with the intent of developing a similar ambulatory surgery center to serve the needs of children and the disability community in the inland region.
Consistent with the accreditation guidelines that govern ASCs, patients are ambulatory and treated during the day only. There are no overnight stays and no meals provided at the facility.
The new facility will meet all accreditation guidelines for an OSPHD-3 (non-acute) facility pursuant to California regulation Section 1226.8 where general anesthesia is administered in an ambulatory setting. There will be a maximum of two patients under general anesthesia at any time within the facility. All patient cases are scheduled by appointment only and there will be no walk-in or emergency patients. The surgery center will employ four people including a receptionist, two nurses and a dental technician. At maximum capacity, an average of six patients per day will be treated with a single trip each for service.
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD:
This application is for the development of a built-to-suit medical office building (outpatient ambulatory surgery center) on a vacant infill lot. Parking is provided to meet the ratio required by the municipal code. All roof-top HVAC equipment will be screened from view by architectural parapets. A van accessible parking stall is located within an enclosed structure that will allow direct patient access to a hallway that leads to the surgical suite; this area will also be utilized as a mobile staging area. This accessible stall is provided in addition to a van accessible stall in the surface parking lot. The outpatient surgery center has been designed to meet the requirements of OSHPD-3. There will be no more than 5 patients rendered unable for self-preservation by the services provided within the building. This will be a B-Occupancy and is neither an 1-2.1 or 1-2 occupancy nor under HCAi's (previously OSHPD) jurisdiction. The exterior fa�ade has been designed to be consistent with heritage buildings within the Grand Circle. Although the design concept is not to mimic legacy buildings, the elevations include design elements featured on historic buildings.
MAJOR VARIANCE REQUEST:
The variance request pertains to Chapter 17.86 of the CMC, Section 17.86.020(() Grand Blvd., parking shall not be permitted between the right-of-way and any building. Justification for this variance request includes the following:
1. Narrow Lot: The lot in question is a narrow infill lot which limits the ability to build a building AND a driveway, especially one with easy access for emergency vehicles.
2. Infill Lot with no access from the back: The lot is an infill lot, there is no access from the back and no back alley. Placing the building in front would land-lock the parking in the back, limit ability of large vehicles (such as handicapped accessible and emergency vehicles) to turn around and limit the ability of patients to exit the parking or building.
3. Irregular Lot: Municipal and building code setbacks reduce the usable site area by 35% (from 13,998 sf to 9,058 sf). This irregular parcel makes building a useable and functional building impossible for our purposes, even if the setbacks were eliminated.
4. Patient Safety: An easily accessible driveway in front of building will provide direct access for pediatric patients and patients with disabilities. It will also make it easier for EMS and emergency personnel to respond.
5. Fire Dept Requirements: Fire department comment #3 in DPR stating that "Dead end access drives shall not exceed 150' in length" would make it impossible to build the building in the front of the property. Placing the parking in the rear of the property would result in the access driveway exceeding 200'. Additionally, the site cannot be designed to provide a circular drive.
6. Area Context: This site design is consistent with the larger adjoining Post Office and the church across the street, both of which have parking adjacent to the right of way. These two sites are the most prominent and newer built buildings, and we think our design would provide a steady and logical flow.
7. Post Office encroachment on our property: Due to prior buildout and city approval, the existing Post Office parking and fence encroaches on our lot by 3 feet across the whole rear of our property. This further limits our ability to build our building as the encroachment will be nearly impossible to reverse and further adds to our challenges.
8. Patient Perception: The client owns and operates a similar facility in Orange County. His experience is patients and families are less anxious when they arrive at a front door entrance facing the street - they can see where they are going and it is less threatening for parents, pediatric patients and patients with developmental challenges. Entering at the rear of a building creates a "hidden entrance" feel and increases patient and parent
Notice of Exemption FORM “A”
NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
TO:
☒ Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
P. O. Box 3044, Room 113
Sacramento, CA 95812-3044
Submitted online via:
https://ceqasubmit.lci.ca.gov/
FROM:
(Public
Agency)
Name: City of Corona
Address: 400 S. Vicentia Ave. Corona,
CA 92882
Telephone: 951-736-2201
☒ Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
or
County Clerk (Include County name)
Address: P.O. Box 751, Riverside, CA 92502-
0751
Submitted via email:
1. Project Title: ARC2024-0001 & V2024-0001
2. Project Applicant: Shar Alikhani, M.D. for MobiSurg Inc., 23025 Mill Creek Drive, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
3. Project Location – Identify street address and cross streets or attach a map showing project site
(preferably a USGS 15’ or 7 1/2’ topographical map
identified by quadrangle name):
428 W. Grand Boulevard (APN: 117-340-019) located to
the northwest of the W. Grand Blvd. and W. 5th Street
intersection.
4. (a) Project Location – City: Click to enter City (b) Project Location – County: Riverside
5. Description of nature, purpose, and beneficiaries of Project:
ARC2024-0001: Architectural Review for a 3,560 squarefoot outpatient surgery medical building on 0.32 acres in the Community Services District of the Downtown
Revitalization Specific Plan. V2024-0001: Variance
from Corona Municipal Code § 17.86.020(C) to allow
parking for a proposed 3,560-square-foot outpatient
surgery medical building (ARC2024-0001) to be located
between the Grand Boulevard right-of-way line and the
building.
6. Name of Public Agency approving project: City of Corona
7. Name of Person or Agency undertaking the project,
including any person undertaking an activity that
receives financial assistance from the Public Agency
as part of the activity or the person receiving a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement of use from the Public Agency as part of the activity:
Shar Alikhani, M.D. for MobiSurg Inc., 23025 Mill Creek Drive, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
8. Exempt status: (check one)
Notice of Exemption FORM “A”
(a) ☐ Ministerial project. (Pub. Resources Code § 21080(b)(1); State CEQA Guidelines § 15268)
(b) ☐ Not a project.
(c) ☐ Emergency Project. (Pub. Resources Code § 21080(b)(4); State CEQA Guidelines § 15269(b),(c))
(d) ☒ Categorical Exemption.
State type and section number:
Section 15332 (In-fill Development)
(e) ☐ Declared Emergency. (Pub. Resources Code § 21080(b)(3); State CEQA Guidelines § 15269(a))
(f) ☐ Statutory Exemption.
State Code section number:
(g) ☐ Other. Explanation:
9. Reason why project was exempt: The project qualifies as a Class 32 (In-fill Development Projects) categorical exemption per Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project consists of the construction of a 3,560 square foot outpatient surgery medical building on a parcel that is less than five acres surrounded by urban uses. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning, and implementation of the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality impacts. Moreover, none of the exceptions to the Categorical Exemptions listed under Section 15300.2 of the CEQA State Guidelines apply, as the project will not result in a significant cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place over time or have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances, or damage a scenic highway or scenic resources within a state scenic highway. The site is not located on a hazardous waste site and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
10. Lead Agency Contact Person:
Telephone:
Rocio Lopez, MPA – Senior Planner
951-736-2293
11. If filed by applicant: Attach Preliminary Exemption Assessment (Form “A”) before filing.
12. Has a Notice of Exemption been filed by the public agency approving the project? Yes ☒ No ☐
13. Was a public hearing held by the Lead Agency to consider the exemption? Yes ☒ No ☐ If yes, the date of the public hearing was: March 9, 2026 ________________________________
Signature Date: Click to enter date
__________________________________
Name Title: Click to enter title
☐ Signed by Lead Agency ☐ Signed by Applicant
Date Received for Filing: Click to enter date
(Clerk Stamp Here)
Authority cited: Sections 21083 and 21110, Public Resources Code.
Reference: Sections 21108, 21152, and 21152.1, Public Resources Code.