REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 01/04/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Precise Plan 2022-0002 to review the site plan, architecture, landscaping, and fencing associated with the development of 118 residential condominium units and two private parks located southeast of Bedford Canyon Road, west of Interstate 15, in the Medium Density Residential, Parks and Open Space designations within the Arantine Hills Specific Plan.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider Precise Plan 2022-0002 (PP2022-0002). PP2022-0002 covers the site plan, architecture, landscaping, and fencing associated with the development of 118 residential condominium units and two private parks located south of Bedford Canyon Road and Hudson House Drive, west of Interstate 15, in the Medium Density Residential, Parks and Open Space designations within the Arantine Hills Specific Plan.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting PP2022-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval, and find that no additional environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is necessary because there are no changes to the project as analyzed under the certified Arantine Hills Specific Plan EIR, Supplemental EIRs and Addendum, and all the criteria and circumstances that would require further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15162(a) do not exist.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Bedford Community is a 325.7-acre master-planned residential and commercial development located on the west side of Interstate 15 and Eagle Glen Parkway. The community is being completed in phases per the zoning and development standards established by the Arantine Hills Specific Plan. The Arantine Hills Specific Plan allows up to 1,621 residential units. To date, 883 residential units have been approved, including the community’s on-site multi-purpose recreational center, and a 21.7-acre commercial retail center.
The applicant, Pacific Ventures, is the successor to The New Home Company, the master developer and manager of the Bedford Community. The ownership of the properties within Arantine Hills remain Arantine Hills Holding LP. Pacific Ventures is responsible for constructing the backbone infrastructure within the community, as well as obtaining the land use entitlements for each phase of residential development. The homes within the community are being constructed by guest builders. Pacific Ventures is now seeking to develop the next phase, which consists of 118 residential units on 34.27 acres located within the eastern portion of the Arantine Hills Specific Plan, south of the Bedford Wash. The project site borders Interstate 15 to the west and rural residential properties to the south, which are under the jurisdiction of Riverside County.
ANALYSIS:
Site Plan
The site plan is designed to accommodate 118 detached condominium homes, two centrally located private parks totaling 0.54 acres, and 14.62 acres of open space that include slopes, amenities, trails, and a water quality basin. Private streets will provide access to the homes, parks, and open space, and will accommodate sewer, water, and storm drain infrastructure. The storm drain lines will discharge into a water quality basin proposed on the southeast corner of the development. The site sits at a higher elevation than the Bedford Wash to the north and freeway to the east. The site however is lower in elevation than the unincorporated county residential properties to the south.
The development site spans multiple planning areas within the Arantine Hills Specific Plan, including Planning Areas 14 and 15 and portions of Planning Areas 12A, 13, and 16. The residential lots, streets, and water quality basin are within Planning Area 14 and zoned Medium Density Residential (MDR). The two private parks are within Planning Area 15 and zoned Parks. The perimeter open space and trails are within Planning Areas 12A, 13, and 16, which are zoned Open Space. The proposed uses within the development are permitted in their respective planning areas.
Residential Units
The residential units are being established as condominiums per TTM 38277. Each residential unit will have an exclusive use area (EUA) that will allow the residents of the unit to have exclusive use of their own front, side, and rear yards. The required building setback within each EUA is 15 feet in the front, 5 feet for interior side yards, 10 feet for street side yards, and 8 feet for the rear yard. The EUA’s are separated by fencing. Two products with different EUA sizes are proposed. Fifty-nine (59) units have a minimum exclusive use area (EUA) of 47 feet in width, and 80 feet in depth, which is approximately 3,760 square feet. The other 59 units have a minimum EUA of 50 feet in width and 80 feet in depth, which is approximately 4,000 square feet. The EUA sizes meet the Specific Plan’s minimum EUA requirement for condominium developments of 2,700 square feet per unit.
Floor Plans
Six different floor plans ranging in size from 1,522 to 2,767 square feet are proposed. The floor plan sizes exceed the Specific Plan’s minimum living area requirement of 1,300 square feet, which does not include garages, patios, and porches. The smallest floor plan is a one-story dwelling. The five other floor plans are two-story dwellings. All of the plans have a minimum of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage.
Architecture
Five architectural styles are proposed: California Bungalow, Transitional Spanish, Transitional Farmhouse, Spanish Colonial, and Tuscany. The homes have stucco walls with accent materials to highlight their individual architectural style, such as stone veneer, horizontal siding, vertical board and batten siding, and decorative tiles. All the roofs have either flat or rounded concrete tiles. The front doors have varying designs and the front facing windows are enhanced with a trim, faux shutters, or other decorative elements.
Access and Circulation
The Bedford Community, except for the shopping center, is a private development with gated entrances located on Clementine Way and on the southern end of Bedford Canyon Road. The project site is located south of the Bedford Canyon Road and Hudson House Drive intersection, on the south side of Bedford Wash. The developer will construct a bridge over the wash to provide vehicular and pedestrian access from Bedford Canyon Road. The bridge has one northbound and one southbound vehicular lane totaling 32 feet in width, and an additional 28-foot-wide lane that allows emergency vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle access.
All streets within the development are designed per the private street standards established by the Arantine Hills Specific Plan. The streets within the development have an overall right-of-way width of 56 feet, which includes roadway pavement, sidewalks and landscape parkways. The Arantine Hills Specific Plan allows streets with a right-of-way width of 56 feet to have on-street parking on both sides of the street.
Landscaping, Parks, and Amenities
The streets, parks, and open space areas will be landscaped per the applicant’s conceptual landscape plan. The two centrally located parks (Linear Park) will have open turf areas, seats, lighting, and gardens. Additional amenities are proposed within the open space (Bluff Park) that is located along the north perimeter of the development, adjacent to the Bedford Wash. This area will have fire pits, seating areas, gardens, and picnic tables.
Meandering trails are proposed within the open space along the north and east perimeters of the development, around the water quality basin, and through the parks. Although the residential portion of the Bedford Community has vehicular gates, there are portions of the trails within the community that are public. However, none of these public trails will occur within the proposed development, as they exist only along the west side of Clementine Way, south side of Hudson House Drive, and east side of Bedford Canyon Road.
Fences and Walls
Six-foot high decorative block walls will be provided along the side yards of the units that are adjacent to a street or park. The internal fencing between units will be constructed of six-foot high vinyl fence. Six-foot high view fencing is proposed along the rear property lines of the units that have back yards adjacent to open space. View fencing materials may include wrought iron, glass, or a combination of block and glass.
PP2022-0002 has been evaluated for compliance with the applicable development standards imposed by the Arantine Hills Specific Plan. The project maintains vehicular and pedestrian connectivity with other prior phases of development within the community via the construction of a bridge, sidewalks, and trails. The project will implement the Arantine Hills Specific Plan, and the General Plan goals and policies related to providing a variety of housing types to meet the growing housing demand in the area.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $9,710 to cover the cost of the Precise Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The Arantine Hills Specific Plan is a master plan that was comprehensively evaluated in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which was certified by the City of Corona on August 15, 2012 (SCH # 2006091093), Supplemental EIR certified on May 19, 2016, Addendum to the EIR adopted on December 19, 2018, and a Supplemental EIR certified on May 20, 2020. The City has determined that no additional environmental review is necessary in connection with its consideration of TTM 38277 and PP2022-0002, as the applications propose no changes to the project analyzed under the certified EIR, Supplemental EIRs and Addendum, and all the criteria and circumstances that would require further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15162(a) do not exist.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of November 21, 2022, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Alexander/Sherman) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2598 granting PP2022-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval, with the added condition as noted: The applicant shall in good faith consider an expansion of the trail system along the south side of, and adjacent to, the Bedford Wash. The applicant shall meet with the Community Services Department to discuss the status of, and revisions to, the City's Trails Master Plan. If connectivity to the Bedford Wash is supported by the Community Services Department, then the applicant shall in good faith engage in discussions with the Riverside County Flood Control District, who is the owner of the property in and adjacent to Bedford Wash. The City shall be party to the discussions with the Flood Control district. After meeting with the Community Services Department and Flood Control District, if applicable, the applicant shall report to the Planning Division the constraints and opportunities of connecting trails to the Bedford Wash. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 - Site plan for PP2022-0002
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of November 21, 2022