AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 4/17/2019
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration to waive the Corona Municipal Code Section 15.60.080 requirement to place underground the overhead utility lines along the south side of Pomona Road fronting Assessor’s Parcel Number 102280031 - Platinum Storage Group, Inc.
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council waive the requirement to underground the overhead utility lines along the south side of Pomona Road fronting Assessor’s Parcel Number 102280031 - Platinum Storage Group, Inc.
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ANALYSIS:
Platinum Storage Group, Inc., is the developer of a project located on the south side of Pomona Road and northwest of the State Route SR91-freeway in the M-1 (Light Industrial Zone), as shown in Exhibit “A.” The project proposes to remodel an existing building (Building A) and reconstruct a building that was demolished as part of the SR-91 project (Building C).
As shown in Exhibit “B,” Platinum Storage Group, Inc., has submitted a request to waive their requirement to underground overhead utility lines fronting their property. Corona Municipal Code Section 15.60.080 stipulates that the owner of a property is obligated to comply with the requirement to place all overhead utility lines less than 34 kilovolts underground when a proposed addition exceeds 50 percent of the cost of replacing the existing building. The remodel of Building A will reduce the size of the existing building to accommodate handicap parking stalls near their entrance, and therefore does not exceed that criteria. However, Building C is a new building, being constructed in approximately the same location of a building that was demolished with the SR91 project.
In response to the request, staff has reviewed the site, the surrounding properties and the existing condition of the utilities in the area. The property under consideration is already developed, like most of the surrounding area. Due to the current condition of the neighborhood, the existing overhead utilities on Pomona Road are not likely to be placed underground in the immediate future. Therefore, requiring the developer to bear the burden of placing the overhead utilities adjacent to the property underground when overhead utilities exist on adjacent properties and in the immediate area would cause an unreasonable hardship. Furthermore, there are unknown obstacles that could occur when placing such a short run of utilities underground in a developed area with existing underground facilities. For these reasons, the Public Works Department supports the request for a waiver of the requirement to underground the overhead utility lines.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The applicant has paid the Utility Underground Waiver Request fee of $1,675.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely approves a waiver of the requirement to underground the overhead distribution lines, and there is no possibility that approving this waiver will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: CHRISTOPHER L. HORN, P.E., SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: TOM KOPER, P.E., ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: NELSON D. NELSON, P.E., PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: KERRY D. EDEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: MICHELE NISSEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: MITCHELL LANSDELL, ACTING CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit A - Vicinity Map
2. Exhibit B - Waiver Request