REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 03/01/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Change of Zone 2022-0003 to change the zoning on various properties to allow certain residential land uses consistent with the General Plan Housing Element Sites Inventory.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider the approval of Change of Zone 2022-0003 (CZ2022-0003) 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 CZ2022-0003.
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. 3362, first reading of an ordinance approving a change of zone to: (1) add an Affordable Housing Overlay Zone for various properties to permit High Density Residential in conjunction with existing zoning; (2) change the zoning for various properties from Agricultural and R-1 Single Family Residential; and (3) change the zoning for various properties from C-2 Restricted Commercial to Mobile Home Park zone (CZ2022-0003).
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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.
CZ2022-0003 is part of the rezoning program described by Housing Program 7 of the Housing Element.
ANALYSIS:
The Housing Element Rezoning Program covers various properties located in the City. Due to the number of properties and the locations, the City grouped and separated the properties into 11 Zone Areas so that the areas can be easily identified. Zone Areas not shown as part of CZ2022-0003 are included in a separate application for a Specific Plan Amendment (SPA2022-0003).
At the Planning and Housing Commission meeting on January 23, 2023, the properties identified in Zone Areas 6 and 8 were removed and one parcel from Zone 1 was removed by the Commission with staff removing three additional parcels from Zone 1 after the meeting. Therefore, only the properties in Zone Areas 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10 that are affected by CZ2022-0003 are being considered at this time. To make up the shortfall of sites created by the removal of the properties in Zone Areas 1, 6 and 8, staff will evaluate additional sites to include in the Housing Sites Inventory and process a subsequent amendment, if necessary.
The properties associated with CZ2022-0003 are identified in Exhibits 2 through 8 attached to this staff report. These exhibits include a map showing the location of the properties and a table identifying each property and the proposed change in the zoning. The following table summarizes the general location of the properties within the Zone Areas.
Housing Element Rezoning Program Properties By Zone Area
|
Zone Area |
Number of Properties |
General Location |
|
Zone 1 (Four parcels removed since Planning Commission) |
30 |
West 6th Street, west of Lincoln Avenue, including Smith Street, Yorba Street and Sherman Avenue |
|
Zone 2 |
35 |
West 6th Street, east of Lincoln Avenue; West Grand Blvd. north of Sixth Street; Vicentia Street north of 6th Street; Railroad Street, east of Cota Street. |
|
Zone 3 |
1 |
Railroad Street, east of Lincoln Avenue |
|
Zone 5 |
66 |
East side of North Main Street, south of Rincon Street, Harrison Street and East Grand Blvd.; east side of Joy Street north of 6th Street; north side of Quarry Street, east of E. Grand Blvd.; East 6th Street, east of Rimpau Avenue; Circle City Drive, east of Rimpau Avenue |
|
Zone 6 (All sites removed by the Planning Commission) |
3 |
South side of East 6th Street, west and east of El Camino Avenue |
|
Zone 7 |
1 |
South side of East 6th Street, east of Temescal Street |
|
Zone 8 (All sites removed by the Planning Commission) |
11 |
West side of Fullerton Avenue on Ford Street and Barth Street |
|
Zone 9 |
1 |
South side of Ontario Avenue, east of Oak Avenue |
|
Zone 10 |
1 |
West side of S. Main Street, south of Montoya Drive |
Zones 1, 2 and 5 represent the City’s historic commercial corridors on West and East 6th Street and North Main Street. Over the years, properties within the North Main Street corridor have been redeveloped to replace aging and declining shopping centers with new commercial uses and high density residential. Like North Main Street, aging commercial properties that exist along the West and East 6th Street commercial corridor have the potential to be redeveloped to include high density residential or commercial and residential mixed-use. These sites were considered as part of the rezoning program for higher density residential because of the existing urban environment and proximity to regional public transportation. The rezoning of these sites lend opportunity for these sites to be redeveloped with housing that can further support the planning of low- and moderate-income units and allow the City to meet its state mandated housing requirement.
Proposed Change of Zone
CZ2022-0003 changes the zoning of certain properties located in Zone Areas 1 through 3 and 5, 7, 9 and 10. The change of zone proposes the following changes:
a) add an Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) zone in conjunction with the existing zoning on certain properties, where high density residential may not currently be allowed (Zone Areas 1 through 3, and 5),
b) change the zoning from Agriculture and R-1, a single-family zone, to R-2, a low-density multiple family residential zone (Zones Areas 9 and 10), and
c) change the zoning from C-2, a restricted commercial zone, to MP, a mobile home park zone (Zone Area 7).
The AHO zone is an overlay zone that is intended to facilitate and provide incentives for the development of affordable, multifamily housing on properties that do not allow residential based on the current zoning. The AHO zone is intended to allow for residential development as a stand-alone use or as part of a mixed-use development that would include commercial uses based on the permitted uses allowed by the underlying zoning. For example, a property zoned C-3 (General Commercial) with an AHO zone would be allowed to continue to have the uses allowed by the C-3 zone, or the property would be allowed to be developed with high density, multiple family residential if 20% of the total units are set aside for affordable housing for low-income units. Additionally, a commercial and residential mixed-use development would be allowed in the AHO zone.
In addition to the AHO zone being proposed on certain properties, other sites in the city have been identified to be changed from R-1, a single-family residential zone, to R-2, a low density, multiple family residential zone. These sites were seen as having the potential for providing moderate-income housing units. The sizes of the properties provide an opportunity for additional housing units to be constructed on sites that already have one single family dwelling. The change of zone on these properties aligns with the land use changes being proposed by GPA2022-0002.
Public Correspondence:
Living Water Church owns the property at 1065 Railroad Street, which is the site identified in the Zone 3 Area. Living Water Church submitted a letter to the City requesting that the property be removed from the rezoning program and that the property maintain the C-3 zone instead of having the Affordable Housing Overlay zone applied to the property in conjunction with the C-3 zone. The letter is provided as Exhibit 10 for the City Council’s consideration.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
CZ2022-0003 is a city-initiated application. No application fee was processed for this Change of Zone 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 (Alexander/Sherman) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend to the City Council the approval of CZ2022-0003, with the sites in Zone Areas 6 and 8 being removed and certain sites in Zone Area 1 being removed, 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 11.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - City Ordinance No. 3362
2. Exhibit 2 - Zone 1 Area Change of Zone with Table
3. Exhibit 3 - Zone 2 Area Change of Zone with Table
4. Exhibit 4 - Zone 3 Area Change of Zone with Table
5. Exhibit 5 - Zone 5 Area Change of Zone with Table
6. Exhibit 6 - Zone 7 Area Change of Zone with Table
7. Exhibit 7 - Zone 9 Area Change of Zone with Table
8. Exhibit 8 - Zone 10 Area Change of Zone with Table
9. Exhibit 9 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
10. Exhibit 10 - Public Correspondence from Living Water Church
11. Exhibit 11 - Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of January 23, 2023