PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 05/20/2024
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Planning & Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
GPCD2024-0004: Request for a General Plan Consistency Determination regarding the acquisition of 0.07 acres of property located at 405 Corona Mall. (Applicant: Ashley Zaragoza, City of Corona Economic Development Department, 400 S. Vicentia Avenue, Corona, CA 92882)
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2634 determining that the acquisition of 0.07 acres of property located at 405 Corona Mall is in conformance with the City’s General Plan.
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ANALYSIS
Subject Property
The City is seeking a General Plan Consistency Determination for a 0.07-acre property located at 405 Corona Mall (APN 117-151-020). A site map of the property is attached as Exhibit 2. The property is in the North Corona Mall and zoned Downtown per the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan. The property is currently owned by the Lopez Family Trust and is developed with a commercial building.
The City approached the property owner with the intent to purchase the property due to recent direction from the City Council, which is to acquire properties within the Corona Mall for redevelopment. The owner has offered the City an opportunity to negotiate a purchase of the property. Given the property’s location in the Corona Mall, it is in the City’s best interest to acquire the property to encourage the overall goal of creating a thriving, vibrant destination in the Downtown Core.
General Plan Consistency
California Government Code Section 65402 requires that when a local agency plans to acquire, dispose of or vacate real property or easements for public purposes, the Planning Agency of the city in which the property is located must first issue a report addressing whether the activity is in conformity with the General Plan.
The City’s plan to acquire the property at 405 Corona Mall is in conformance with the following General Plan policies:
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General Plan Policy |
Reason |
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Policy LU-17.6: Promote and support the redevelopment of the Corona Mall and adjacent properties into a central attraction within the Downtown Core, with a mix of supporting land uses. |
405 Corona Mall abuts city-owned properties to the south, west and east which are part of the Corona Mall. The acquisition of 405 Corona Mall will allow cohesive ownership of the properties in the Corona Mall and give the City leverage on the future redevelopment of the properties in the area. |
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Policy LU-17.9: Promote the consolidation of individual lots for the redevelopment of cohesive and well-designed commercial and mixed-use projects that maintain the area’s character of low-rise and pedestrian-oriented buildings with distinctive storefronts. |
Because of the property’s proximity to city-owned properties, the property at 405 Corona Mall allows the City the opportunity to evaluate the best use of the property for the community. |
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Policy LU-4.4: Proactively promote the adaptive re-use and infill of economically underutilized, obsolete, and dilapidated commercial and industrial sites within existing urbanized areas, in consideration of the uses, scale, and character of adjoining uses. |
The acquisition of the property at 405 Corona Mall allows for the potential redevelopment of the property and prevents the site from being underutilized. |
Staff requests that the Planning and Housing Commission find the proposed acquisition of approximately 0.07 acres of property at 405 Corona Mall conforms with the City’s General Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The General Plan consistency determination is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and therefore, does not require environmental review.
FISCAL IMPACT
The acquisition of 405 Corona Mall in the amount of $950,000 will be deducted from Measure X Funds reserves.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
California Government Code Section 65401 does not require public notification for a General Plan Consistency Determination.
PREPARED BY: SANDRA VANIAN, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Exhibits:
1. Resolution No. 2634
2. Locational Map
3. Letter from the Economic Development Department, dated May 8, 2024