PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 2/11/2019
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Community Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
CUP2018-0009: A Conditional Use Permit application to establish an 80-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed as a monopine located at 809 E. Parkridge Avenue in the MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2). (Applicant: Frank Ortega with Coastal Business Group, 24310 Moulton Parkway, Suite O #1009, Laguna Hills, CA 92637).
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission recommend adoption of the Negative Declaration and Resolution No. 2528 GRANTING CUP2018-0009, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
Body
PROJECT SITE SUMMARY
Area of Property: 0.74 acres
Existing Zoning: MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2)
Existing General Plan: LI (Light Industry)
Existing Land Use: Industrial Building
Proposed Land Use: An 80-foot high wireless telecommunications facility designed as a mono-pine tree.
Surrounding Zoning/Land Uses:
N: A-14.4 (Single-Family Residential, minimum lot size 14,400 square feet)/Vacant residential
E: A-14.4 (Single Family Residential, minimum lot size 14,400 square feet)/Vacant residential
S: MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2)/Industrial buildings
W: MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2)/Industrial buildings
BACKGROUND
The proposal is to construct an 80-foot high wireless telecommunications facility on a 0.74-acre industrial property located at 809 E. Parkridge Avenue. The telecommunications facility is designed to resemble a pine tree, also known as a monopine. The wireless carrier associated with the proposal is T-Mobile. The subject property is within the boundaries of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan and has a zoning of MSI (Medium Service Industry) which allows wireless telecommunications facilities by a conditional use permit.
As shown in Exhibit A, the project site contains a single-story industrial building, parking lot, and landscaping. The majority of the site’s landscaping is located on the easterly corner of the site near Parkridge Avenue which is where the monopine is proposed. When the proposal was initially reviewed by staff at the Project and Environmental Review Committee meeting on September 13, 2018, staff inquired with the applicant about placing the monopine at the rear of the property behind the building to allow the tree to be “tucked away” from the street. The applicant informed staff that the rear portion of the property was not a viable location for the monopine because the rear portion contains existing parking spaces which the property owner did not want to eliminate. Also, the parking lot contains small landscape planters which are unable to accommodate the proposed monopine and its associated equipment enclosure.
Since the easterly corner is the only location that could accommodate the monopine, staff requested that the applicant have additional live pine trees installed between the street and monopine to help screen the faux tree from street view and create a more natural setting for the monopine. The existing on-site trees are only approximately 25 to 30 feet tall, including the existing pine trees that currently line the east side of the building. However, placing additional live trees on the site was not feasible due to existing underground pipes, electrical lines, and a water easement that are located on the easterly corner of the site which could be disturbed by the additional trees. Additionally, the owner indicated the existing landscaping in this area of the site serves the same purpose as being requested by staff.
The city’s wireless telecommunications ordinance under Chapter 17.65 of the Corona Municipal Code requires wireless carriers to investigate the feasibility of co-locating on the tops of buildings or existing structures before establishing a new structure. As it pertains to the project, co-locating was not an option for T-Mobile as there are no existing buildings or structures in the target area that could provide the needed height for the carrier. The 80-foot height is needed for the tower due to the height of the nearby SR-91/I-15 freeway interchange structure that is located approximately 1,500 feet to the southeast and the inclined ground height north of the project site.
The applicant, however, did analyze several alternative sites prior to selecting the subject site. None of the alternative sites was feasible due to various reasons including insufficient space, site design issues, or no interest from the property owner. These included several industrial properties south of the project site on Parkridge Avenue and Meyer Circle, a vacant residential property northeast of the project site on Corona Avenue, and Creste Verde Golf Course located on the east side of Interstate 15. The alternative sites are described by the applicant in Exhibit H.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the conditional use permit is to increase the capacity, speed, and reliability of T-Mobile’s existing cellular phone coverage and data network in an area that is currently experiencing a coverage gap in 4G-LTE network coverage. Propagation maps were submitted to staff showing the coverage in the area with and without the proposed monopine. Exhibit C1 shows the current coverage area without the monopine, and Exhibit C2 shows the anticipated coverage area with the monopine. Currently, without the monopine, the project area has mostly coverage inside commercial buildings (dark green), but insufficient coverage inside residential buildings (light green) and inside vehicles (yellow). With the monopine, the coverage for inside residential buildings and vehicles would improve along Interstate 15 and minimize dropped calls in the area.
Site plan
The project site is a 0.74-acre parcel located north of Parkridge Avenue and west of Interstate 15. The site is completely developed with an industrial building, parking lot and landscaping and is accessible from Parkridge Avenue. The monopine is proposed at the southeasterly corner of the site approximately 15 feet behind an existing six-foot high perimeter wrought iron fence and shrubs. Per the MSI development standards, the minimum front building setback for the property is 25 feet of which the first 20 feet must be fully landscaped. The minimum side and rear yard setbacks is 10 feet each. As shown by the applicant’s site plan, the placement of the monopine on the property exceeds the minimum setback requirements as the monopine has a front yard setback of 36 feet from Parkridge Avenue, a rear yard setback of 185 feet from the north property line, and a side yard setback of 20 feet from the east property line. The nearest sensitive receptors are existing residences which are located beyond the vacant properties to the north and northwest of the project site. The nearest residential structure is approximately 350 feet to the northwest of the proposed monopine.
Antenna Layout Plan
The panel antennas will be mounted on a three-sector array with three antennas per sector, for a total of nine panel antennas. Three of the antennas will be 51 inches in length, three will be 58 inches in length, and three will be 95 inches in length. The antennas will be mounted onto the monopine at a height of 70 feet measured to the center of the antennas. The project’s conditions of approval attached as Exhibit B requires the antennas to be painted green to match the color of the tree foliage and covered by antenna “socks” that are textured with tree foliage to help screen the antennas from view. There will also be two RRUs (Radio Remote Units) mounted behind the two of the antennas per sector for a total of six RRUs, and a two-foot wide microwave antenna will be mounted on the mono-pine at 56 feet high.
Equipment Plan
The equipment associated with the wireless telecommunications facility will be placed next to the monopine on the north side. T-Mobile’s lease area is 192 square feet and will contain two equipment cabinets, a fiber cabinet, a telco cabinet, an AC panel cabinet, and a GPS antenna (Exhibit D). The equipment will not be visible from street view as it will be screened by an existing six foot high wrought iron fence with existing shrubs and hedges.
Elevations
The MSI designation prescribes a maximum height limit of 45 feet for buildings or structures. The monopine can exceed this height limit per the Corona Municipal Code with a conditional use permit. As shown by the applicant’s elevation plan, Exhibit E, the monopine is 80 feet in height measured to the top and the antennas are mounted at 70 feet in height. Photosimulations of the monopine are shown in Exhibits F1-F3 which provide three different views of the tower from street level. All views are taken from Parkridge Avenue since the monopine would be most visible from this street. While there are no trees located on the project site that are of a similar height as the 80-foot high monopine, the property has several trees that are approximately 25 to 30 feet tall that line the south and east property lines of the project site. There are also several trees that are similar in height to the proposed monopine that are located sporadically throughout the area. This is more apparent when viewed from the nearby I-15 bridge over Parkridge Avenue (Exhibit G). Therefore, it is staff’s view that the 80-foot high monopine would not be inconsistent with the visual characteristics of the surrounding area. Also, while the monopine would be visible from Interstate 15, the property is at a lower elevation and the bottom half of the monopine would be shielded behind an existing sloped mound that is part of the freeway right-of-way.
Access and Parking
Access to the site is obtained via a driveway located at the southwesterly corner of the parcel from Parkridge Avenue. The proposed wireless telecommunications facility will be placed within a landscape area on the southeasterly portion of the parcel. Therefore, parking will not be affected by the proposed facility. Additionally, the proposed telecommunications facility is not anticipated to impact the surrounding roadways in terms of traffic because a service technician for T-Mobile is anticipated to visit the site periodically throughout the year for routine maintenance and will utilize a parking space within the parking lot.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Per Section 15070 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 6.01 of the City’s Local Guidelines, a negative declaration was prepared for the project because the initial study showed that there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the City that the project may have a significant or potentially significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, a negative declaration is recommended for adoption (Exhibit I).
FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant paid $12,891.75 in application processing fees for the conditional use permit.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 20-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 inquiries from the public in response to the notice.
STAFF ANALYSIS
CUP2018-0009 is necessary to enhance wireless communication for T-Mobile to better serve its patrons and residents within the City of Corona. The monopine is capable of meeting all the minimum setback requirements prescribed by the development standards for the MSI designation. The applicant has taken steps to minimize the visual impacts the facility may have on the surrounding area by designing the wireless facility to resemble a pine tree to be consistent with the existing pine trees that line the east property line of the project site. The antennas will be painted green and covered by antenna “socks” to further reduce the antennas’ visibility from public view. Furthermore, the monopine is located in an area that has trees that will serve to help mask the installation. Therefore, the monopine would not be inconsistent with the visual characteristics of the area.
CUP2018-0009 will implement General Plan Policy 7.13.2, which provides for the continued development and expansion of telecommunications systems for access data, information, and communication purposes. Therefore, CUP2018-0009 is recommended for approval based on the findings below and the conditions of approval.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR CUP2018-0009
1. An initial study (environmental assessment) has been conducted by the City of Corona so as to evaluate the potential for adverse environmental impacts. The initial study shows there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record that the project may have a significant or potentially significant adverse effect to the environment. Therefore, pursuant to Section 15070 of the State CEQA guidelines and Section 6.01 of the city’s Local CEQA Guidelines a negative declaration was prepared for the project.
2. All the conditions necessary for granting a Conditional Use Permit as set forth in Section 17.92.110 of the Corona Municipal Code do exist in reference to CUP2018-0009 for the following reasons:
a. The proposal will not be detrimental to the public health, safety convenience and general welfare, because any radiofrequency emissions from such installations are governed by limits placed by the Federal Communications Commission for human exposure. The proposed telecommunications facility is also required to adhere to FCC regulations and prior to construction the applicant shall obtain all required permits from local and federal agencies.
b. The proposed use is not detrimental to the other existing and permitted uses in the general area of the project site and relates properly to the surrounding roadways because the wireless telecommunications facility meets the building setback criteria of the zone, was designed as a mono-pine to be indistinguishable from the surrounding environment and is in a location where existing buildings, vegetation and other structures provide the greatest amount of screening.
c. Reasonable conditions as necessary are being imposed to the project to protect public health, safety, and welfare and to establish full compliance with the applicable development standards of the MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2).
d. CUP2018-0009 will not impact the existing circulation system because a service technician will visit the site periodically throughout the year for routine maintenance and will utilize a parking space within the parking lot and sufficient parking is provided at the project site to accommodate this activity. Therefore, the proposed use will not impact the level of service on the surrounding streets.
3. The proposal is consistent with the General Plan for the following reasons:
a. The proposed project will fulfill General Plan Goal 7.13 which promotes having an adequate, safe, and orderly supply of telecommunication infrastructure to support existing and future land uses within the City because it will allow the telecommunications carrier to fill a service gap currently experienced in this area of the city.
b. The proposed project will fulfill General Plan Policy 7.13.2 which provides for the continued development and expansion of telecommunications systems for access of data and information and communication purposes because it will improve and provide convenient access to wireless service.
4. The proposal is consistent with the MSI designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2) for the following reasons:
a. The proposed wireless telecommunications facility is consistent with the development standards of the MSI (Medium Service Industry) designation of the Birtcher Business Center Specific Plan (SP82-2) as the proposed facility meets the required setbacks of the MSI designation. The maximum height of 45 feet can be exceeded per the municipal conde with a conditional use permit.
PREPARED BY: LUPITA GARCIA, ASSISTANT PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA YANG, SENIOR PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: TERRI MANUEL, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 2528
2. Aerial and Zoning Map
3. Exhibit A1-A2 - Site Plan and Enlarged Site Plan
4. Exhibit B - Conditions of Approval
5. Exhibit C1-C2 - Propagation Maps for T-Mobile coverage
6. Exhibit D - Equipment and Antenna Layout
7. Exhibit E - Elevations
8. Exhibit F1-F3 - Photosimulations
9. Exhibit G - View of project site from Interstate 15 bridge
10. Exhibit H - Applicant’s letter dated November 15, 2018
11. Exhibit I - Environmental Documentation
Case Planner: Lupita Garcia (951) 736-2293