AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 10/02/2019
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Public Hearing for City Council consideration of Ordinance No. 3301, first reading of an Ordinance of the City of Corona, California for SPA2019-0003, amending the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01) to amend the Land Use Table to include additional entertainment, retail and eating and drinking establishments to encourage the redevelopment and reuse of underutilized properties in the downtown area generally (located on Sixth Street within the Grand Boulevard circle). (Applicant: City of Corona)
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
1. Approve SPA2019-0003, as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission.
2. Introduce by title only and waive full reading for consideration of Ordinance No. 3301, first reading of an ordinance approving an amendment to the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01) to amend the Land Use Table to include additional entertainment, retail and eating and drinking establishments in the downtown area generally located on Sixth Street within the Grand Boulevard circle. (SPA2019-0003)
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ANALYSIS:
Background
The City of Corona Housing Authority entered into a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) with LAB Holdings on May 17, 2017, to redevelop the Corona Mall properties owned by the city's Housing Authority. The Corona Mall contains multiple buildings owned by different parties. Throughout the years, the city's former Redevelopment Agency started to acquire properties/buildings in the Corona Mall with the hope of partnering with a developer to redevelop the mall. The Agency was successful in acquiring 17 properties within the Corona Mall, however approximately 20 properties remained owned by others. When the Redevelopment Agency was dissolved as a result of legislation enacted by the state governor in 2011 to eliminate Redevelopment Agencies in the state of California, the Corona Housing Authority acquired the properties from the Agency. The former Housing Authority properties are now under the ownership of LAB Holdings.
LAB is an acronym for Little American Businesses. The company engages with independent, self-made businesses to create a unique market place that includes small retailers, artists, culinary, micro-breweries and distilleries, performing arts and entertainment. The LAB has done several redevelopment projects in southern California that include the Anaheim Packing House and the Lab Anti-Mall and The Camp in Costa Mesa. The idea for the Corona Mall is to bring the same concept used in Costa Mesa to the City of Corona. To allow the types of tenants normally found in other establishments owned by the LAB an amendment to the land use table of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan is required because certain land uses are not currently mentioned in the plan.
Specific Plan Amendment
SPA2019-0003 involves an amendment to Table III-2, Permitted Land Use Matrix, of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01). The amendment adds new land uses as well as modify existing land uses to include additional options. For example, the specific plan already allows micro craft breweries, but the amendment expands that use to now include craft beer tasting and/or tap room without the on-site brewing. This additional land use would allow various craft brews from surrounding areas to be served at one location even though their brewing operations are done at another location. Currently, the definition of a craft brewery requires a tasting room to be in conjunction with the on-site brewing. The amendment will now provide both options.
The amendment also adds micro distillery and winery. A definition for this use is being added to the Corona Municipal Code, Chapter 17.04 - Definitions, which will allow on-site production in small batches similar to micro craft brewery. A tasting room would also be allowed as part of the operation.
The specific plan already allows for restaurants and other eating establishments such as delicatessen. The amendment adds bakeries to clarify the use is allowed like a delicatessen. Coffee house is also being added as part of the amendment. Staff normally considers this use similar to a restaurant, but coffee houses have a tendency to have limited food service and therefore separating the use provides better clarity. The LAB also wanted the ability to have a coffee house with on-site roasting, therefore that use was included as well. Because coffee houses are heavily used in the morning during peak commute times and need to meet the demand of customers wanting quick service, the amendment also adds coffee house with a drive-through service as a conditional use permit.
The LAB is requesting that restaurants with live entertainment also be allowed. This will allow them to promote restaurants with performing musicians suitable to the environment. Outdoor entertainment is also being added to accommodate art festivals, live music, and other similar type uses in the outdoor plaza area. Outdoor entertainment would require the approval of a minor conditional use permit. Indoor recreational entertainment such as bowling, billiard and other similar uses are being added with the approval of a minor conditional use permit.
Community service facilities and meeting halls are allowed by conditional use permit in the Downtown zone. The LAB is requesting that multi-use venues be added to this category in order to promote meeting spaces for corporate events or special engagements. The LAB also requested the use be allowed by right as opposed to requiring a CUP since the use would be inside the building. Staff is proposing to allow the use by minor conditional use permit which is reviewed by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The minor CUP still allows the city to have discretionary review over the use but is more streamlined than the major CUP process.
Like community service facilities, live entertainment is being added to theater which is allowed by conditional use permit in the Downtown zone. The LAB requested that live entertainment be added to clarify the theater is not just a movie theater. The request is also to have it approved as a minor conditional use permit as opposed to a major conditional use permit.
A new land use defined as artisan market place is being added to allow various vendors, retailers and food uses within a communal space. The communal space would be very similar to the environment at the Anaheim Packing House where all the small independent business share space and seating within a common setting. A definition for artisan market place is being added to the Corona Municipal Code, Chapter 17.04 - Definitions.
Other minor changes not listed above are shown in the following table. The table also shows which zoning designations allow each use. The following defines the land use acronyms shown in the table.
D - Downtown
GB - Gateway Business
TC - Transitional Commercial
GC - General Commercial
BP - Business Park
CS - Community Services
RO - Residential Office
SF - Single Family
MF - Multiple Family
OS - Open Space
Table 1 - Land Use Table (Redlined Changes)
The specific plan amendment meets the intent of the Downtown Revitalization Specific Plan and the land use and economic goal of creating a revitalized Downtown that serves as the community's central focus, contains a balanced range of land uses, and contributes to the overall well being of the City of Corona. The land uses being introduced as part of this amendment are consistent with the policies described in the specific plan as the various land uses are intended to attract patrons to the Downtown and preserve the small scale setting not commonly found in modern retail centers. The goal is to also have these land uses bring continued activity to the Downtown in the evenings and weekends.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fees are associated with this application, as the amendment is an application by the city.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15061(b)(3) of the State Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project because Section 15061(b)(3) states that a project is exempted from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption 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 amendment solely involves text revisions to an existing specific plan that already accommodates a variety of commercial uses. The zoning designations established in the specific plan are not affected by this amendment, therefore, the land uses anticipated on these properties will not impact the current environment. Therefore, there is no possibility that this activity will have a significant effect on the environment.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of September 9, 2019, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Shah/Hooks) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend approval of SPA2019-0003 to the City Council, based on the findings contained in the staff report. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: KERRY D. EDEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: MICHELE NISSEN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: MITCHELL LANSDELL, INTERIM CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - City Ordinance No. 3301.
2. Exhibit 2 - Locational and Zoning Map.
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report.
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of September 9, 2019.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
City of Corona, 400 S. Vicentia Ave. - Corona