REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 12/06/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT MODIFICATION 2021-0004 FOR THE REVISION TO THE SITE PLAN AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FOR SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING CONSISTING OF 62 UNITS ON 2.14 ACRES IN THE R-3 (MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL) ZONE, ORIGINALLY APPROVED BY CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 17-004, LOCATED AT 159 N. BUENA VISTA AVENUE (APN: 118-290-049) (APPLICANT: MILAD OUEIJAN, ON BEHALF OF PIERRE SAAD)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to affirm the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting Conditional Use Permit Modification 2021-0004 (CUPM2021-0004). CUPM2021-0004 is a modification to the site design and architecture for a senior citizen housing project previously approved by CUP17-004. The CUP modification maintains the 62 apartments originally approved, but changes the orientation and the location of the buildings to provide more of an independent living environment for senior citizens and increases the number of on-site parking spaces provided for the project.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council affirm the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting Conditional Use Permit Modification 2021-0004, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
CUPM2021-0004 is a proposal to modify a senior citizen housing development originally approved under CUP17-004. The project was originally approved by the Planning and Housing Commission on November 6, 2017, and subsequently by the City Council on May 2, 2018. The original project included a single, three-story building containing 62 apartments within the center of the property.
The modified project was reviewed by the Planning and Housing Commission at its meeting on September 25, 2023, and October 23, 2023. The Commission discussed the widening of Buena Vista Avenue adjacent to the project site, and required the applicant to increase the height of the gated entrance to seven feet, increase the size of the trees adjacent to the single-family homes to 36-inch box trees, provide washer and dryer hook ups in the units, and maintain the minimum age limit at 60 years old.
ANALYSIS:
The zoning of the project site is R-3, which allows multiple family residential, and the General Plan designation is High Density Residential (HDR), which allows 15 to 36 dwelling units per acre (du/ac), and up to 75 du/ac for senior citizen residential.
The project site is an infill property surrounded by existing single and multiple family residences. The properties to the north and east are zoned R-2 and contain single and multiple family residential structures, while the property to the immediate south is zoned R-3 and contains multiple family residential apartments. To the west are properties zoned R-1-7.2 with single family residences.
The revised plan consists of 62 apartments for senior citizen housing within 52,085 square feet of building area on 2.14 acres. The project proposes a density of 28.97 du/ac.
The project includes the following:
• Gated community.
• Two detached, two and three-story residential buildings.
• A one-story residential building attached to the back of Building A.
• 9,700 square feet of common open space.
• 121 parking spaces.
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TABLE 1: RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION |
|
Building |
Total Units |
Units & Type |
Unit Size (Sq.Ft.) |
Total Bldg. Sq.Ft. |
|
“A” |
35 |
14: 2BR/2 & 1 BATH 21: 1 BR/1BATH |
2BR: 720 to 925 1BR: 550 to 835 |
29,290 |
|
“A-Bungalow” |
5 |
3: 2BR/2 BATH 2: 1BR/1BATH |
2BR: 780 to 845 1BR: 600 to 650 |
3,735 |
|
“B” |
22 |
12: 2BR/2 & 1BATH 10: 1 BR/1BATH |
2BR: |
19,060 |
|
Total |
62 |
|
52,085 |
Floor Plan
The unit mix includes a total of 33 one-bedroom and 29 two-bedroom units. The one-bedroom units range from approximately 530 to 835 square feet, and the two-bedroom units range from approximately 720 to 925 square feet. Additionally, each unit will contain a minimum of 37.5 square feet of private balcony, minimum 100 cubic feet of storage area, a kitchen, dining room and bathroom. Both buildings include elevators and stairwells to access the second and third floors.
Development Standards
The project is designed to meet the following minimum setback requirements for the R-3 zone:
• Front Yard (West perimeter along Buena Vista Ave) - 25 feet
• Interior Side Yard (North and South perimeters) - 10 feet
• Rear Yard (East perimeter) - 10 feet
The buildings are also designed to meet a special provision of the R-3 zone which requires any building over one story in height to be set back a minimum of 50 feet from any abutting property that is zoned single family residential or R-2 (low-density multiple family residential). As the project is adjacent to a single-family residential zone to the west and R-2 zone to the north and east, the project’s second and third floors are set back a minimum of 50 feet from these property lines.
The project’s development demonstrates compliance with all development standards set forth in the R-3 zone, including compliance with the maximum height limit of 40 feet.
Common and Private Open Space
The project is required to provide private and common open space to serve the residents of the development. Based on the requirements of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) and the 62 apartments, the project is required to have at least 9,300 square feet of common open space, and at least 25% of combined private open space shall be provided in the form of a private patio or balcony for each unit. The project is capable of meeting these requirements by providing 9,700 square feet (28%) of common open space and 32% of combined private open space.
The project features a variety of indoor and outdoor amenities which are centrally located on site for the residents to promote an active senior lifestyle. Amenities include fitness equipment, swim/spa, shuffleboard court, barbeques, walking trail, and multipurpose room.
Site Access and Circulation
The project is proposed as a gated community, which has not changed from the approved project. Access to the site will be provided via two 28-foot-wide driveways along Buena Vista Avenue. The south entrance is the primary entrance to the site as this driveway will allow for ingress and egress purposes, while the northern driveway is for egress only. Both driveways feature stamped and stained concrete entries.
The gates at the southern and northern driveways are set back approximately 88 feet and 46 feet, respectively, from the property line adjacent to Buena Vista Avenue. The site contains adequate traffic circulation as determined by the city’s Traffic Engineer and Fire Department.
Parking
The project is allowed to use the parking ratio in the Corona Municipal Code that was in effect at the time of submittal of the project’s application, which was 1.5 parking spaces per unit. Using this parking ratio, the project is required to provide 93 parking spaces. The originally approved project provided 106 parking spaces. Since the initial approval of the project and the submittal of the modified CUP application, the city’s parking ratio for senior citizen housing was amended to include guest parking at a ratio of 1 space every 4 units.
The project is providing guest parking which aligns with the city’s current parking ratio of 1.5 units per unit, plus 1 space/4 units for guest parking, resulting in 109 required parking spaces. In total, the project is providing 121 parking spaces of which 47 are covered spaces and 74 are uncovered spaces. The covered spaces are located underneath the second floors of the two buildings, and the uncovered spaces are located along the perimeters of the property.
|
# of Units |
CMC Senior Housing Parking Ratio 1.5 spaces/unit |
CMC Senior Housing Guest Parking Ratio 1 space/4 units |
Parking Required |
Parking Provided |
|
62 |
93 |
16 |
109 |
121 |
Architectural Style
The approved architecture for the project featured Spanish elements including mission style roof tiles, stucco walls, wrought iron guard rails, wood trellis details and Spanish tiles. The revised project features a contemporary architectural design that is compatible with the design and colors of the existing residential structures in the neighborhood. The proposed buildings have varying tile roof lines with pitched roofs and flat roofing behind parapet walls which will support solar panels, decorative columns, attractive balconies, recessed windows, plank siding accents that resemble wood siding, smooth plaster walls and overall wall reveals and trim. Accent colors include beige walls, brown hues, dark tan trimming around windows, and white trimming along the roof parapet. Staff is requiring the plank siding accents to be replaced with stucco siding. The stucco is consistent with the building materials of the residential units in the surrounding area. Additionally, the balconies, window trims, and wall pop-outs enhance the exterior appearance of the buildings without the use of plank wood siding.
Building A along the Buena Vista Avenue frontage has been reduced from a three-story structure averaging a height of 35 feet to a two-story structure averaging a height of 20’-10”. The third floor is now set back approximately 102 feet from the front property line adjacent to Buena Vista Avenue. This revision minimizes the massing of the building to the single-family houses located at 153 N. Buena Vista Avenue and to the homes located across the street to the west.
The remainder of the project features three-story Building A and B ranging in height from 34.5 to 35.5 feet, while the one-story Building A bungalow is approximately 16’-3” in height. All buildings comply with the maximum 40-foot height limit established for the R-3 zone. The building height is also consistent with the approved project, which had a building height of 35.2 feet. The building pad will be lowered by approximately three to six feet in order to match the building height of the existing two-story apartment building located to the south of the project site.
Landscaping
In response to the Commission’s concerns to provide more buffering between the existing properties and the project site, the Conceptual Landscape Plan has been modified to increase perimeter trees from 24-inch box to 36-inch box screen trees with a variety of shade trees, large screen shrubs, a variety of groundcovers and colorful plant materials to accent the site with an overall coverage area of approximately 25.5%. Additionally, the interior parking lot area will be shaded by tree canopies.
Along the southern landscaped setback and along the western edge adjacent to the rear property lines of 153 Buena Vista Avenue, 155 Buena Vista Avenue and 163 Buena Vista Avenue, 36-inch box trees will be planted in a continuous row to create a tall green wall for the single-family residences that share a property line with the project site.
Perimeter Fencing and Walls
Existing perimeter block walls are located along the northern and southern property lines of the project site, and along the western property line at 153 and 155 Buena Vista Avenue. The applicant intends to enhance the block walls at these locations with a new plaster finish. A new six-foot-high block wall with a stucco finish is proposed along the eastern property line, west property line at 163 and 205 Buena Vista Avenue, and along the southern property line of 163 Buena Vista Avenue. The two driveways on Buena Vista Avenue will have 28-foot-wide wrought iron, telescopic sliding gates, with fire Knox Boxes, for vehicular access with motion sensor operation and pedestrian gates.
Trash Enclosures
The floor plans show trash chutes on each floor where residents can dispose of their trash by dropping it through the chute into the designated trash bins located within the trash enclosures on the first floors of Buildings A and B. Residents within the five units in Building A Bungalow will place their trash within the bins in Building A. The applicant indicates that the city’s waste hauler will drive the trash truck into the complex and pick up the trash bins from Buildings A and B and return them to their respective trash areas within the first floor of the buildings.
Public Right-of-Way Improvements
Per the city’s General Plan Circulation Element, Buena Vista Avenue is classified as a collector street which requires an ultimate right-of-way width of 34 feet measured from the street centerline. The applicant is required to construct the missing right-of-way width and improvements adjacent to the project site. The widening improvements will be similar to the improvements that exist to the south of the project site. As the road transitions to the north, the roadway will transition back to its current width, adjacent to the existing properties, beyond the project site. Buena Vista Avenue is a legacy street and is not entirely widened to its ultimate right-of-way width for a collector street. Because of the existing conditions along this street, which mostly consists of properties that are already developed, the widening of Buena Vista Avenue will likely need to be done as a Capital Improvement Project by the City; should the City want to widen Buena Vista Avenue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $4,466 to cover the cost of the Conditional Use Permit Modification.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The City Council adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration on May 2, 2018, in conjunction with the approval of CUP17-004 for a 62-unit senior housing development project. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162(a), the City has determined that no additional environmental review is necessary for the revised project (CUPM2021-0004), as the proposal is consistent with the circumstances analyzed under the adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration, and there are no substantial changes nor new information of substantial importance.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of October 23, 2023, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland/Alexander) and carried with Commissioner Woody voting “No” and Commissioner Vernon absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2620 granting CUPM2021-0004, 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: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 - Design Comparison Site Plan
3. Exhibit 3 - Site plan for CUP2021-0004
4. Exhibit 4 - Landscape Plan
5. Exhibit 5 - Amenities Plan
6. Exhibit 6 - Elevations
7. Exhibit 7 - Perimeter Cross Sections
8. Exhibit 8 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
9. Exhibit 9 - Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of October 23, 2023