PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 3/25/2019
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Community Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
GPA2018-0002: Application to change the General Plan designation of 3.8 acres located on the west side of North Main Street and north of Parkridge Avenue from MDR (Medium Density Residential, 6-15 du/ac) to its previous designation of GC (General Commercial) (Applicant: Keith Osborn of K&A Engineering, Inc., 357 North Sheridan Street, Suite 117, Corona, CA 92880).
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission recommend APPROVAL of GPA2018-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report, and adopt Resolution No. 2532 granting GPA2018-0002 as part of Cycle 1 of General Plan Amendments for 2019.
Body
PROJECT SITE SUMMARY
Area of property: 3.8 acres
Existing General Plan: MDR (Medium Density Residential, 6-15 du/ac)
Proposed General Plan: GC (General Commercial)
Existing Zoning: SFC (Single-Family Condominium) District of the North Main Street Specific Plan (SP99-01)
Proposed Zoning: CR (Commercial Retail) District of the North Main Street Specific Plan (SP99-01)
Existing Land Use: Vacant and unimproved
Surrounding Land Uses/General Plan:
S: Drive-through restaurant and Commercial center/GC (General Commercial)
N: Office building (City of Norco jurisdiction)/Specific Plan (City of Norco General Plan designation)
E: Commercial center/MU 1 (Mixed Use: Commercial/Residential), and mobile home park/GC (General Commercial)
W: Self-storage facility (City of Norco jurisdiction)/Specific Plan (City of Norco General Plan designation)
BACKGROUND
The project site is a vacant 3.8-acre property located on the west side of Main Street and north of Parkridge Avenue. It is bordered by the City of Norco to the north and northwest. On February 5, 2014, the City Council approved an amendment to the City’s General Plan to change the land use designation on the subject site from GC (General Commercial) to MDR (Medium Density Residential, 6-15 du/ac). The purpose of the General Plan amendment, GPA13-005, was to enable the development of a 45-unit attached townhome project on the site. To facilitate the development of the 45-unit townhomes, a specific plan amendment (SPA13-002) along with a precise plan (PP13-007) and a condominium map (TTM 36642) were approved with GPA13-005.
Since the approval of the aforementioned amendments and entitlements, the property owners have faced difficulties in securing a quality residential builder to construct the townhomes on the subject property. As stated in the applicant’s letter, Exhibit B, there has been an increased interest in commercial development by commercial developers on the project site. As such, the applicant is seeking to revert the site’s General Plan designation from its current MDR designation to GC which would allow the site to be developed for commercial. For consistency purposes, the applicant is also seeking an amendment to the North Main Street Specific Plan to change the site’s existing zoning of SFC (Single-Family Commercial) to CR (Commercial Retail). The amendment is being reviewed separately as SPA2018-0002. No development is currently proposed at this time. Any future development proposed on the project site will come in as a separate proposal for review by the Planning and Housing Commission.
The applicant’s proposal was initially discussed at the Infrastructure Committee meeting on December 6, 2017. The conceptual plan that was presented to the Committee had included a hotel, multi-tenant commercial buildings with food users, and a drive-through restaurant. Overall, the Committee did not object to having the site be reverted to commercial use.
The applicant originally submitted the GPA and SPA applications to the city on August 22, 2018 which were reviewed by the Project and Environmental Review Committee on September 13, 2018. The applications were finally considered complete on March 18, 2019 and cleared for public hearing before the Planning and Housing Commission on March 25, 2019. City staff was not able to clear the project sooner for public hearing because the project was required to complete the tribal consultation process with local Native American tribes pursuant to SB 18 and AB 52 legislative requirements. During this process, staff initially received interest from two tribes requesting consultation; however, the interested tribes did not engage further with staff on the consultation process after a 90-day period which allowed the project to move forward to a public hearing.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
As shown in Exhibit A, GPA2018-0002 is a request by Keith Osborn of K&A Engineering, Inc., on behalf of the property owners to change the General Plan designation of the 3.8 acres from MDR to its previous designation of GC.
Exhibit B depicts the existing General Plan designation of the properties located within the boundaries of the North Main Street Specific Plan. The property that abuts the southeasterly perimeter of the project site at the northwest corner of Main Street and Parkridge Avenue is developed with a drive-through restaurant. Beyond the restaurant to the south is Parkridge Avenue and a commercial center. The restaurant and commercial center are currently designated as GC on the General Plan map. The properties located beyond Main Street to the east of the project site are also developed with a commercial center and designated as Mixed Use I (MU I), which allows for an integrated mix of commercial and residential uses. The property to the northeast of the project site contains a mobile home park and has a designation of GC.
The abutting property to the north of the project site is located within the jurisdiction of the City of Norco. The property is developed with a Riverside County Department of Public Social Services office building and is designated as Specific Plan with a zoning of Commercial District on Norco’s General Plan and zoning maps, respectively. The property located beyond Cota Street to the west of the project site is also within the City of Norco and has a General Plan designation of Specific Plan and zoning of Industrial District.
The project site is an in-fill site surrounded by existing developed commercial, office, light industrial, and residential properties. At this time, the property owners do not have a viable residential proposal for the project site. The applicant’s request to have the site’s General Plan designation revert to its original GC designation would allow for commercial development to occur on the site which would be compatible with the surrounding land uses.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Pursuant to § 15183 of the State CEQA Guidelines, a project which is consistent with the development density established by existing zoning, community plan or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified shall not require additional environmental review, except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project or its site. The project site is part of the North Main Street Specific Plan in which an EIR was certified by the City Council on January 5, 2000 for the North Main Street District Specific Plan and Corona Entertainment Center. The North Main Street Specific Plan designated the site Commercial Retail (CR) and the General Plan was designation General Commercial at the time of its approval. Subsequently, an amendment to the North Main Street Specific Plan was approved to change certain land uses within the plan to accommodate Urban Density Residential Development and Mixed Use (residential/commercial) land uses on certain properties. An EIR for the North Main Street Specific Plan Amendment was prepared and certified by the City on November 5, 2008. The project site at that time was designated CR by the specific plan and GC by the General Plan. Therefore, the build out condition considered for the specific plan took into consideration the project site’s commercial designation.
GPA2018-0002 does not change the analysis that was considered under the previously certified North Main Street District Specific Plan and Corona Entertainment Center EIR and North Main Street Specific Plan Amendment EIR, as the commercial land use being proposed is the same commercial land use that previously existed on the property. Therefore, GPA 2018-0002 is exempt from further environmental review and a Notice of Exemption has been prepared (Exhibit C).
FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant paid $7,359.86 in application processing fees for the General Plan amendment.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 10-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 responses from the public regarding the project.
STAFF ANALYSIS
The project applicant has proposed this General Plan Amendment in order to pursue a viable commercial project for the subject site. In 2014, the same project proponent initiated and received approval to change the General Plan designation on 3.8 acres from GC (General Commercial) to MDR (Medium Density Residential, 6-15 du/ac) to facilitate a project that would have yielded a multi-family residential development on the subject site. However, due to an increase interest by commercial developers in the past years that project has not been fulfilled as market conditions for an attached residential use project have become challenging with the market conditions. With there being increased interest for commercial development, the subject site would more viably be developed with a commercial product. Also, the GC designation proposed at the subject site is compatible with the surrounding land uses.
GPA 2018-0002 complies with the General Plan Goal 1.18 which promotes the enhancement of the North Main Street corridor as a vital center of professional offices, entertainment, and retail activity. The amendment is also consistent with General Plan Policy 1.18.1 which accommodates the development of entertainment/specialty retail, commercial retail, service commercial, business park, industrial, and mixed uses in accordance with the North Main Street’s land use plan’s designations and applicable density standards and design and development policies. Therefore, GPA2018-0002 is recommended for approval, based on the following findings.
FINDINGS FOR THE APPROVAL OF GPA 2018-0002
1. Pursuant to § 15183 of the State CEQA Guidelines, a project which is consistent with the development density established by existing zoning, community plan or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified shall not require additional environmental review, except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project or its site. The project site is part of the North Main Street Specific Plan in which an EIR was certified by the City Council on January 5, 2000 for the North Main Street District Specific Plan and Corona Entertainment Center. The North Main Street Specific Plan designated the site Commercial Retail (CR) and the General Plan was General Commercial at the time of its approval. Subsequently, an amendment to the North Main Street Specific Plan was approved to change certain land uses within the plan to accommodate Urban Density Residential Development and Mixed Use (residential/commercial) land uses on certain properties. An EIR for the North Main Street Specific Plan Amendment was prepared and certified by the City on November 5, 2008. The project site at that time was designated CR by the specific plan and GC by the General Plan. Therefore, the build out condition considered for the specific plan took into consideration the project site’s commercial designation.
GPA2018-0002 does not change the analysis that was considered under the previously certified North Main Street District Specific Plan and Corona Entertainment Center EIR and North Main Street Specific Plan Amendment EIR, as the commercial land use being proposed is the same commercial land use that previously existed on the property. Therefore, GPA 2018-0002 is exempt from further environmental review and a Notice of Exemption has been prepared.
2. GPA2018-0002 is internally consistent with the elements of the General Plan, including the goals and policies stated therein for the following reasons:
a. The amendment is consistent with General Plan Policy 1.18.1 which accommodates the development of entertainment/specialty retail, commercial retail, service commercial, business park, industrial, and mixed uses in accordance with the North Main Street’s land use plan’s designations and applicable density standards and design and development policies.
b. The amendment is consistent with General Plan Goal 1.18 which will promote the enhancement of the North Main Street corridor as a vital center of professional offices, entertainment, and retail activity.
PREPARED BY: HARALD LUNA, ASSOCIATE PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA YANG, SENIOR PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: TERRI MANUEL, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 2532
2. Locational and Zoning Map
3. Exhibit A - Proposed General Plan Amendment.
4. Exhibit B - Applicant’s letter dated March 15, 2019, explaining the General Plan amendment request.
5. Exhibit C - Environmental Documentation.
Case Planner: Harald Luna (951) 736-2268