REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 03/01/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Community Facilities Plan Amendment 2022-0002 to amend 2.00 acres located at 1220 W. Ontario Avenue and 5.40 acres located at 2880 California Avenue from Low Density Residential to Medium Density Residential.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider the approval of Community Facilities Plan Amendment 2022-0002 (CFPA2022-0002) to support the Housing Element Rezoning Program. The Housing Element Rezoning Program is a planning requirement that sets the path for the development of housing units in accordance with the City’s mandated regional housing need in the General Plan Housing Element. It does not guarantee that housing will be developed on all the properties identified on the housing sites inventory in the Housing Element. Future development on these properties and in most cases the redevelopment of these properties will be determined by market conditions. At the same time however, the City needs to maintain land that can support the development of residential units based on the regional housing need during the eight- year period of the current Housing Element, which is the reason for CFPA2022-0002.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. 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 in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Corona Housing Element Rezoning Program that was certified with the approval of General Plan Amendment 2022-0002.
b. Introduce by title only and waive full reading for consideration of Ordinance No. 3361, first reading of an ordinance approving an amendment to the South Corona Community Facilities Plan to change the Land Use designation from LDR (Low Density Residential) to MDR (Medium Density Residential) for 2 acres located at 1220 W. Ontario Avenue and 5.40 acres located at 2880 California Avenue (CFPA2022-0002.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City Council adopted the General Plan Housing Element 2021-2029 on November 3, 2021. The Housing Element is a state mandated document that is required to be updated every eight years. On October 12, 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community Development approved the City’s Housing Element and found the document to be in compliance with State Housing Element Law (Government Code Article 10.6). The Housing Element requires the City to rezone and amend the General Plan land use of certain properties to meet its state mandated regional housing need.
The Housing Element 2021-2029 aligns with the State’s allocation of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, commonly known as RHNA. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council adopted the final RHNA allocation for the jurisdictions within its region at its meeting on March 4, 2021. The City of Corona was issued a final RHNA allocation of 6,088 housing units. The City is required to demonstrate the planning of these units based on each income category within the Housing Element for the next eight years.
Corona’s RHNA allocation in the low-income category is 2,792 units and in the moderate-income category is 1,096 units. Because the City’s availability of vacant, undeveloped properties has decreased over the years due to development, it is especially challenging to find properties suitable for higher density residential, which is crucial in planning enough sites to accommodate low- and moderate-income housing units. Sites suitable for low-income units must have a zoning and General Plan designation that allows a higher density of at least 30 dwelling units to the acre. Moderate income units also can be accounted for in the higher density but can be included in a medium density that allows up to 15 dwelling units to the acre.
Housing Program 7 of the Housing Element requires the City to identify adequate housing sites that could be developed with housing according to the income categories required by the City’s RHNA allocation. The City does have a lack of sites with a high density residential zoning available for the planning of low- and moderate-income units. Housing Program 7 requires the City to rezone certain properties so that enough sites are available for the potential development of high density residential that would support the planning of low- and moderate-income units.
ANALYSIS:
CFPA2022-0002 is part of the rezoning program. The amendment will affect two properties that are partially developed and contain existing buildings for religious purposes. The property located at 1220 Ontario Avenue is the location for Evangelical Friends Church Southwest, and the property located at 2880 California Avenue is the location for United Methodist Church of Corona. Both churches contacted the City during the Housing Element process and expressed interest in providing housing on the respective properties. The churches have no plans to expand on the undeveloped portions of the properties. Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is interested in providing housing for families that may not be able to afford market rate units and United Methodist Church of Corona is interested in providing housing for senior citizens. Any future housing would coexist with the existing churches.
CFPA2022-0002 will change the land use designation of two properties totaling 7.40 acres from Low Density Residential to Medium Density Residential. A summary of the properties is provided in the following table.
|
Property Address |
Acres |
Existing CFP Designation |
Proposed CFP Designation |
Existing Land Use |
|
1220 W. Ontario Avenue |
2.00 |
Low Density Residential, 3 to 6 units per acre |
Medium Density Residential, 6 to 15 units per acre |
Evangelical Friends Church Southwest |
|
2880 California Avenue |
5.40 |
Low Density Residential, 3 to 6 units per acre |
Medium Density Residential, 6 to 15 units per acre |
United Methodist Church of Corona |
The medium density designation would allow for multiple family units but at a density that is less than a high-density designation. Duplexes and attached housing are common in a medium density designation.
The following table describes the land uses surrounding the subject properties.
|
Property Location |
North |
East |
South |
West |
|
1220 W. Ontario Avenue |
Single Family Residential |
Southern CA Edison Substation & Single Family Residential |
Single Family Residential |
Religious Facility (Bishop Church of Latter-Day Saints) |
|
2880 California Avenue |
Religious Facility (Congregation Beth Shalom) |
Single Family Residential |
Santiago High School |
City park site |
Given the adjacent and nearby land uses of each site, amending the land use on the properties from single family to medium density is a compatible transition. Additionally, Evangelical Friends Church Southwest is separated from the single-family residential properties by a six-foot high block wall and United Methodist Church of Corona is separated from the single-family residences by California Avenue. A block wall is also located along the street side of California Avenue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
CFPA2022-0002 is an application initiated by the City. No application fees were paid for the processing of this application.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The City prepared a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Corona Housing Element Rezoning Program in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the City of Corona General Plan Housing Element Rezoning Program Update Project. This document is prepared in conformance with CEQA (California PRC Section 21000, et seq.) and the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations [CCR], Title 14, Section 15000, et seq.). The Supplemental EIR adequately addresses impacts from minor changes to the Corona General Plan Technical Update 2020 Final EIR certified on June 3, 2020, by the City Council. As required by CEQA, the Supplemental EIR only contains information necessary to analyze the project modifications, changed circumstances, or new information that triggered the need for additional environmental review. The Supplemental EIR only contains the information necessary to make the previous EIR adequate for the project as revised. The Supplemental EIR indicated that the Housing Element Rezoning Program will not result in impacts not already identified in the Corona General Plan Technical Update 2020 Final EIR. The adoption of the Supplemental EIR is being considered with the adoption of GPA2022-0002.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of January 23, 2023, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Sherman/Alexander) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend approval of CFPA2022-0002 to the City Council based on the findings contained in the staff report 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 in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Corona Housing Element Rezoning Program. 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 - City Ordinance No. 3361
2. Exhibit 2 - Proposed Land Use Amendment
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
4. Exhibit 4 - Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of January 23, 2023