PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 08/12/2024
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Planning & Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
SPA2024-0001: Specific Plan Amendment to the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan amending the general residential guidelines. (Applicant: City of Corona)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission recommend APPROVAL of SPA2024-0001 to the City Council, based on the findings contained in the staff report.
Body
BACKGROUND
The Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01) covers approximately 621 acres located in the city’s historic downtown, which includes properties located within and on the outside periphery of Grand Boulevard, and along Sixth Street between Lincoln Avenue and the Flood Control Channel. The specific plan governs the land use, development standards, and design guidelines for the affected properties.
The specific plan includes an inventory of residential properties. Most of the residential properties were developed before the 1950s with several residential structures placed on the city’s Corona Register as local historic landmarks. The residential neighborhoods within the specific plan are well established and represent the age of when the structures were built. Vacant infill lots exist within the downtown Corona residential neighborhoods and the residential design guidelines established in the specific plan are intended to guide the development of new residential structures to be compatible with the existing residential neighborhoods.
The residential design guidelines are expressed as mandatory requirements or non-mandatory requirements in the specific plan. Over the years, new residential structures on vacant infill properties or the rehabilitation of existing residential structures have shown modern-day designs that are not compatible with the architectural elements already established in the existing neighborhoods. Since the downtown Corona residential neighborhoods include a high volume of historical structures, which contributes to the character and era of the neighborhoods, the downtown residential guidelines are being amended to provide more mandatory requirements and new architectural style standards to preserve the architectural history and appearance of the neighborhoods. The amended residential design guidelines are intended for new residential structures to be compatible with existing residential structures and the existing atmosphere of the neighborhood.
The new architectural style standards being added to the specific plan were presented to the City Council at its study session on March 20, 2024. The architectural style standards were presented in a combined presentation on the proposed revisions to the city’s Historic Resources Ordinance in Chapter 17.63 of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC). The City Council supported the addition of the architectural style standards into the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan and the proposed amendments to Chapter 17.63 of the CMC regarding updates to the Historic Resources ordinance and the creation of a Historic Preservation Board. The amendments to CMC Chapter 17.63 are being processed separately as a zone text amendment to Title 17, Zoning Code, of the CMC and later than SPA2024-0001. CMC Chapter 17.63 focuses on the preservation of existing historical resources and the process of listing historical structures on the city’s heritage inventory and local register as a local historic landmark. It does not focus on the design guidelines for new residential structures, which is the reason SPA2024-0001 is separate from the future amendment associated with CMC Chapter 17.63.
PROPOSED SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT
SPA2024-0001 will amend Section E, General Residential Guidelines, of Chapter IV of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan. The redline changes to Section E are provided in its entirety in Exhibit 1.
The existing residential guidelines include rehabilitation requirements for existing residential structures in addition to acceptable exterior materials, window designs, porches and stairs, and roof design and material. The guidelines also describe building additions to existing structures and how the appearance of the addition should have the same architectural elements and design as the existing structure.
The guidelines also include requirements for new infill residential structures to incorporate traditional architectural characteristics of existing residential structures found in the neighborhood. Examples include window and door spacing, exterior materials, roof style and pitches, porches, garage placement, and decoration detail. No specific architectural style is required in the downtown Corona neighborhood, and this has resulted in the architectural style of new residential structures being subjectively scrutinized.
Most of the amendment proposed by SPA2024-0001 includes the addition of residential architectural style standards that are allowed for new residential construction and for residential rehabilitation projects that will extensively change the appearance of the existing residential structure. The architectural style standards are described in Section E.13 of Exhibit 1, which include Mission and Spanish Revival, Colonial, Tudor, Bungalow and Craftsman Bungalow, and Ranch. The specific plan also allows the Planning and Development Director to consider an architectural style not listed in the specific plan if it demonstrates a contribution to Corona’s heritage and the downtown residential neighborhood. The architectural style standards are intended to preserve the historic character of the downtown Corona residential neighborhoods as new residential structures are constructed on infill lots.
DEPARTMENTAL, AGENCY AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
According to Government Code Section 65352.3(a)(2), the city notified the California Native American Tribes inviting consultation on the proposed amendment to the specific plan. The consultation period started on March 20, 2024, and closed on June 20, 2024 at the end of the 90 day period. No tribes requested consultation with the city on the proposed amendment.
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 general rule 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. The proposed amendment involves text revisions to the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan amending the general residential guidelines and will have no significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The project is a city application and no application fees are associated with the request.
PUBLIC NOTICE
A 10-day public notice was advertised in the Sentinel Weekly News and posted at the project site.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
SPA2024-0001 is consistent with the purpose of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan because the amended residential design guidelines will preserve and enhance the residential neighborhoods by requiring new residential construction to have architectural elements that reflect the historical character and environment of the existing neighborhood. This allows the city’s heritage to be preserved while also accommodating new development.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR SPA2024-0001
1. Per Section 15061(b)(3) of the State Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project because Section 15061(b)(3) states that a project is exempted 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. The proposed amendment involves text revisions to the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan amending the general residential guidelines and will have no significant effect on the environment.
2. Pursuant to CMC Section 17.53.090(B)(1)(a) the plan systematically implements and is consistent with the General Plan for the following reasons:
a. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Goal LU-8 because it establishes residential guidelines to assure the integrity, quality, and livability of Corona’s existing residential neighborhoods, preserving those elements that give them character, cohesion, and quality of life.
b. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Policy LU-8.7 because the residential guidelines require new single family homes constructed in existing neighborhoods to be designed to complement existing structures within property setbacks, scale, building materials, and color palette, and exhibit a high quality of architectural design.
c. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Policy LU-17.14 because the residential guidelines promote the development of more cohesive and uniform patterns of housing types and densities in the Downtown, avoiding the hodge-podge appearance that currently exists on some streets.
3. Pursuant to CMC Section 17.53.090(B)(1)(b) the Plan provides for the development of a comprehensively planned project that is superior to development otherwise allowed under the conventional zoning classifications for the following reason:
a. SPA2024-0001 amends the general residential guidelines which are intended to preserve the historic character of the downtown Corona residential neighborhoods.
4. Pursuant to CMC Section 17.53.090(B)(1)(c) the Plan provides for the construction, improvement, or extension of transportation facilities, public utilities and public services required by the long-term needs of the project and/or other area residents, and complements the orderly development of the City beyond the project's boundaries for the following reasons:
a. SPA2024-0001 amends the general residential guidelines for single family and multifamily properties in the downtown Corona residential neighborhoods by requiring new residential construction or the rehabilitation of an existing residential structure that will extensively change the appearance of the structure to use building forms and materials that are consistent with the scale, building setbacks, and building materials of existing residential structures in the neighborhood.
b. The downtown Corona residential neighborhoods pre-date the 1950s and contain existing residential structures and infill vacant properties that are supported by existing infrastructure, such as utilities, and improved city streets.
5. Pursuant to CMC Section 17.53.090(B)(1)(d), the Plan provides for the appropriate orientation and relationship between land uses within and adjacent to the project for the following reason:
a. SPA2024-0001 affects the general residential guidelines and applies to properties zoned single family and multifamily residential according to the land use plan adopted in the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan.
6. In addition to the findings made in reference to CMC Section 17.53.090, the following additional findings are made in reference to the amendments to SP98-01 (Downtown Revitalization) per Section VIII(9):
a. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with the City’s General Plan because:
i. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Goal LU-8 because it establishes residential guidelines to assure the integrity, quality, and livability of Corona’s existing residential neighborhoods, preserving those elements that give them character, cohesion, and quality of life.
ii. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Policy LU-8.7 because the residential guidelines require new single family homes constructed in existing neighborhoods to be designed to complement existing structures within property setbacks, scale, building materials, and color palette, and exhibit a high quality of architectural design.
iii. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with Policy LU-17.14 because the residential guidelines promote the development of more cohesive and uniform patterns of housing types and densities in the Downtown, avoiding the hodge-podge appearance that currently exists on some streets.
b. SPA2024-0001 is consistent with the goals, policies and planning concepts of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan because it preserves the city’s heritage while accommodating new development.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Proposed Amendment
2. Environmental Documentation