PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 3/25/2019
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Community Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
CUP2018-0012: A Conditional Use Permit application to establish a 49-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed as a mono-pine tree at Kellogg Park located at 1635 Kellogg Avenue in the P (Park) Zone. (Applicant: Tiana Madon with MD7, LLC 10590 W. Ocean Air Drive, Suite 300 San Diego, CA 92130).
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission recommend adoption of the Negative Declaration and Resolution No. 2530 GRANTING CUP2018-0012, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
Body
PROJECT SITE SUMMARY
Area of Property: 4.5 acres
Existing Zoning: P (Park)
Existing General Plan: P (Park)
Existing Land Use: Kellogg Park
Proposed Land Use: A 49-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed as a mono-pine tree within an existing park.
Surrounding Land Use/Zoning:
N: Single-family residences/ R1-8.4 (Single Family Residential, minimum lot size 8,400 square feet)
E: Single-family residences/ R1-8.4 (Single Family Residential, minimum lot size 8,400 square feet)
S: Single-family residences/ R1-8.4 (Single Family Residential, minimum lot size 8,400 square feet)
W: Kellogg Avenue and Single-family residences/ R1-8.4 (Single Family Residential, minimum lot size 8,400 square feet)
BACKGROUND
The 4.5-acre project site is currently developed as Kellogg Park and contains four tennis courts, a playground, a restroom building, a parking lot, and landscaping. In 2006, Sprint obtained approval to establish a 35-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed to resemble a pine tree at Kellogg Park. The Sprint antennas were mounted at approximately 33 feet high and the approval was under ZA05-023.
In 2011, T-Mobile obtained approval to increase the height of the mono-pine by 13 feet for an overall height of 48 feet which allowed T-Mobile to co-locate their antennas on the tree. The antennas were mounted at approximately 45 feet high and the approval was under CUP10-020. Since the Park Zone prescribes a maximum height of 35 feet, a conditional use permit was necessary in order for the mono-pine to exceed 35 feet.
In 2016, the mono-pine was decommissioned and removed from the site; however, the building shelter which housed equipment associated with the wireless telecommunications facility remained in place. CUP2018-0012 is intended to re-establish a mono-pine at Kellogg Park. The new mono-pine is 49 feet in height and proposed in the exact same location as the previous mono-pine. The applicant’s proposal was presented before the Parks and Recreation Commission on September 12, 2018 and the Commission had no objections to the proposal.
The application was submitted to the city on October 17, 2018 and reviewed by staff at the Project and Environmental Review Committee on November 8, 2018. The Committee issued an incomplete application submittal letter to the applicant on November 26, 2018, noting the items missing from the application package. The applicant submitted the required items to staff with the application finally considered complete on February 21, 2019 and cleared for public hearing before the Planning and Housing Commission on March 25, 2019.
The proposed telecommunications facility is regulated by Chapter 17.65 (Telecommunications Facilities) of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) which contains the city’s standards and regulations for telecommunications facilities. Per Chapter 17.92 (Conditional Use Permit) of the CMC, telecommunications facilities are allowed in any zone in the city by a conditional use permit.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the mono-pine is to increase the capacity, speed, and reliability of Sprint’s existing cellular phone coverage and data network in an area that is currently experiencing a gap in 4G-LTE network coverage. Propagation maps were submitted to the city showing Sprint’s existing facilities and coverage (Exhibits C1-C3). As shown in Exhibit C1, the three closest facilities to the project site are located to the south, southeast, and southwest. The first facility is located 0.64 miles south of the project site at Santana Park. The second facility is located 1.2 miles southeast of the project site at 1161 Olympic Drive. The third facility is located 1.7 miles southwest of the project site at 1220 W. Ontario Avenue. For the area surrounding the project site there is currently no coverage. With the mono-pine constructed on the project site, the coverage in the project area will increase as shown in Exhibit C2. The proposed telecommunications facility is, therefore, necessary for Sprint to meet the service demand for their customers.
Site Plan
Kellogg Park is located east of Kellogg Avenue between Canary Lane and Aliso Street and is zoned Park. The site is maintained by the City of Corona’s Department of Water and Power. The project site is accessible from Kellogg Avenue. The mono-pine will be centrally placed within Kellogg Park between the tennis courts. This is the same exact location as the mono-pine that previously existed at Kellogg Park. The mono-pine’s location complies with the minimum setbacks required under the Park Zone, which are 50, 50, and 30 feet for the front, rear, and side yards, respectively. The mono-pine is approximately 456 feet from Kellogg Avenue, 87 feet from the northerly property line which is where the nearest residential properties are located, 395 feet from the northeasterly property line with residential properties farther east, and 123 feet from the southeasterly property line with residential properties farther south.
Antenna Layout
The antennas will be mounted on a three-sector triangular array with four panel antennas per sector, for a total of twelve antennas. The antennas are six feet in length and will be mounted onto the mono-pine at a height of 47 feet measured to the top of the antennas. Per the project’s conditions of approval, Exhibit B, the antennas including the support arms are required to be painted green to match the color of the tree foliage and covered by antenna “socks” that are textured with the same tree foliage to help the antennas blend into the tree. There will also be six RRU’s (Radio Remote Units) per sector for a total of 18 RRUs. The antenna plan is shown in Exhibit D.
Equipment Plan Layout
The equipment associated with the wireless telecommunications facility will be housed inside an existing 336 square foot shelter which formerly housed the equipment associated with the wireless telecommunications facility which previously existed at Kellogg Park. Sprint is leasing a 232 square foot area within the shelter to store their equipment cabinets. Also, the equipment shelter is located at the base of the mono-pine within the Sprint lease area and one GPS antenna will be mounted on the equipment shelter. The mono-pine will be installed on the east side of the shelter. The equipment layout is shown in Exhibit D.
Elevations
As shown by the applicant’s elevation plan in Exhibits E1-E2, the mono-pine is 49 feet in height measured to the top of the branches. The antennas are 47 feet in height measured to the top of the antennas. The tower has a single trunk that supports the antenna arrays, panel antennas, and branches. Photosimulations of the tower on the project site are shown in Exhibits F1-F4. The photosimulations show what the tower would look like from different views at ground level within the park and at street level from the nearby streets. Exhibit F1 shows the tower from Kellogg Avenue from the east. Exhibit F2 shows the tower from Canary Lane from the north. Exhibit F3 shows the tower from Marshall Lane from the southeast. Exhibit F4 shows the tower from within Kellogg Park. As shown in the photosimulations, the project site contains several live mature trees of various types and varying heights which will help the mono-pine blend into its environment.
Access and Parking
As shown by the applicant’s site plan in Exhibit A, access to the project site will be obtained via two existing driveways located on the northwest corner of the site from Kellogg Avenue. The proposed telecommunications facility is not anticipated to impact the surrounding roadways in terms of traffic because a service technician for Sprint is anticipated to visit the site periodically throughout the year for routine maintenance and will utilize a parking space within the parking lot.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Per Section 15070 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 6.01 of the City’s Local Guidelines, a negative declaration was prepared for the project because the initial study showed that there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the City that the project may have a significant or potentially significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, a negative declaration is recommended for adoption (Exhibit H).
FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant paid $12,891.75 in application processing fees for the conditional use permit. Additionally, the applicant is currently working on a License Lease Agreement with the City of Corona to place the Sprint wireless telecommunications facility at Kellogg Park. The initial monthly license payment will be $2,400.00 per month with an annual escalator of 4%.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 20-day public notice was mailed to all property owners 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 Community Development Department has not received any inquiries from the public in response to the notice.
STAFF ANALYSIS
CUP2018-0012 is necessary to enhance wireless communication for Sprint to better serve its patrons and residents within the City of Corona. The applicant has taken steps to minimize the visual impacts the facility may have on the surrounding area by designing the facility to resemble a pine tree which will blend with the existing mature trees located on site. The mono-pine will be located in the exact same location as a previous mono-pine that was approved on the site. Furthermore, CUP2018-0012 will implement General Plan Goal 7.13 which promotes having an adequate, safe, and orderly supply of telecommunications infrastructure to support existing and future land uses within the City because it will allow the telecommunications carrier to fill a service gap currently experienced in this area of the City. The project is also consistent with General Plan Policy 7.13.2 in that it provides for the continued development and expansion of telecommunications systems for access of data, information, and communication purposes. Therefore, CUP2018-0012 is recommended for approval based on the findings listed below and the conditions of approval.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR CUP2018-0012
1. An initial study (environmental assessment) has been conducted by the City of Corona so as to evaluate potential for adverse environmental impacts. The initial study shows there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record that the project may have a significant or potentially significant adverse effect to the environment. Therefore, pursuant to Section 15070 of the State CEQA guidelines and Section 6.01 of the city’s Local CEQA Guidelines a negative declaration was prepared for the project.
2. All the conditions necessary for granting a Conditional Use Permit as set forth in Section 17.92.110 of the Corona Municipal Code do exist in reference to CUP2018-0012 for the following reasons:
a. The proposal will not be detrimental to the public health, safety convenience
and general welfare, because any radiofrequency emissions from such installations are governed by limits placed by the Federal Communications Commission for human exposure. The proposed telecommunications facility is also required to adhere to FCC regulations and prior to construction the applicant shall obtain all required permits from local and federal agencies.
b. The proposed use is not detrimental to the other existing and permitted uses in the general area of the project site and relates properly to the surrounding roadways because the wireless telecommunications facility meets the building setback criteria of the zone, was designed as a mono-pine to be indistinguishable from the surrounding environment and is in a location where existing buildings, vegetation and other structures provide the greatest amount of screening.
c. Reasonable conditions as necessary are being imposed to the project to protect public health, safety, and welfare and to establish full compliance with the applicable development standards of the Park Zone.
d. CUP2018-0012 will not significantly impact the existing circulation system because a service technician will visit the site periodically throughout the year for routine maintenance and will utilize a parking space within the parking lot, and sufficient parking is provided at Kellogg Park to accommodate this activity.
3. The proposal is consistent with the General Plan for the following reasons:
a. The proposes project will fulfill General Plan Goal 7.13 which promotes having an adequate, safe, and orderly supply of telecommunication infrastructure to support existing and future land uses within the City because it will allow the telecommunications carrier to fill a gap currently experienced in this area of the city.
b. The project will fulfill General Plan Policy 7.13.2 which provides for the continued development and expansion of telecommunications systems for access of data and information and communication purposes because it will improve and provide convenient access to wireless service.
4. The proposal is consistent with the P (Park) Zone for the following reasons:
a. The proposed wireless telecommunications facility is a permitted use in the Park Zone and has been designed to comply with the development standards of the Park Zone, as the proposed facility meets the required setbacks of the Park Zone. The zone’s maximum height limit of 35 feet can be exceeded per the municipal code under a conditional use permit.
PREPARED BY: LUPITA GARCIA, ASSISTANT PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA YANG, SENIOR PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: TERRI MANUEL, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 2530
2. Locational and Zoning map
3. Exhibit A1 - Site Plan
4. Exhibit A2 - Enlarged Site Plan
5. Exhibit B - Conditions of Approval
6. Exhibit C1 - C3 - Propagation Maps for Sprint coverage
7. Exhibit D - Equipment and Antenna Layout
8. Exhibit E1 - E2 - Elevation Plans
9. Exhibit F1 - F4 - Photosimulations
10. Exhibit G - Applicant’s letter dated March 3, 2019
11. Exhibit H - Environmental Documentation
Case Planner: Lupita Garcia (951) 736-2293