PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
DATE: 1/6/2020
TO: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
FROM: Community Development Department
APPLICATION REQUEST:
Title
CUP2019-0009: A conditional use permit application to develop a 1,800 square foot Starbucks coffee shop with drive-through service on the northeast corner of North Main Street and Eighth Street in the Downtown designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01). (Applicant: Kendall Beas with Kaidence Group, 5070 N. 40th Street, Suite 210, Phoenix, AZ 85018).
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2542 GRANTING CUP2019-0009, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
Body
PROJECT SITE SUMMARY
Area of Property: 0.39 acres
Existing Zoning: D (Downtown) designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01)
Existing General Plan: MUD (Mixed Use Downtown)
Existing Land Use: Parking lot
Proposed Land Use: Coffee shop with drive-through service
Surrounding Zoning/Land Uses:
N: D (Downtown) designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01)/Corona Mall Commercial Center
E: D (Downtown) designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01)/Office building
S: Eighth Street and CS (Community Services) designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01)/Medical office building
W: Main Street and CS (Community Services) designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01)/Church building
BACKGROUND
The Corona Mall is an existing 224,485 square foot commercial center located on both sides of East Sixth Street between Third Street and Eighth Street. The 0.39-acre subject property is within the South Corona Mall parking lot and is currently used for parking.
The Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on May 1, 2019, discussed the project’s history in relation to a Disposition and Development Agreement that was originally entered between the City and the property owner in 2015. Initially, the owner of the subject property proposed developing the site for a coffee kiosk that would provide only drive-through coffee services. The council at that time, however, preferred the coffee shop to include walk-in services in addition to drive-through services. The agreement was later amended in 2018 to extend the performance deadlines for entitlement and construction because of the time it took to secure a tenant for the site. Pursuant to that agreement the owner has a project entitlement date of September 16, 2019, but is allowed two extensions with each extension granting an additional three months. The owner is working within the second extension which requires the project to be entitled by March 16, 2020. The property’s historical significance was also discussed as the location is where the first Corona fire station and city hall were located. Therefore, council member Speake recommended the architecture should reflect the city’s past and referenced the Sunday school, Carnegie Library, Corona Regional hospital, and the original city hall. The applicant indicated there was flexibility with the architecture and worked closely with staff and the Corona Historic Preservation Society on a more meaningful architecture from a historical perspective while still complying with the architectural guidelines of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan.
The project was initially reviewed by city staff at the Development Plan Review meeting on December 13, 2018. The applicant submitted official applications for the conditional use permit and parcel map on October 14, 2019, which were reviewed by the Project and Environmental Review Committee on November 7, 2019 and determined to be incomplete. The applicant submitted the revised items to staff and the application was considered complete on November 19, 2019 and cleared for public hearing before the Planning and Housing Commission.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Site Plan
As shown in Exhibit A1, the south side of the Corona Mall is comprised of several buildings and a parking lot. The parcel to be occupied by Starbucks coffee is 0.39 acres and is located on the southwest corner of the Corona Mall. Coffee shops with drive-through service are permitted in the Downtown designation with a conditional use permit. The proposed coffee shop has a floor area of 1,800 square feet and is located closest to Eighth Street. The drive-through lane entrance is located north of the building and aligns the northerly, westerly, and southerly perimeters of the property. The drive-through lane will exit on the south side of the building. The drive-through was designed to accommodate 13 vehicle stacking spaces from the pick-up window, with seven stacking spaces from the menu board. The average Starbucks drive-through is designed to accommodate only eight vehicles. The design also exceeds the city’s stacking requirement of six spaces from the menu board. A trash enclosure is located at the northeast portion of the property adjacent to the parking stalls and the drive-through lane entrance.
The building will be set back approximately 90 feet from the north property line, 14 feet from the east property line, 21 feet from the south property line adjacent to Eighth Street, and 26 feet from the west property line adjacent to Main Street. Per Section 17.86.020 of the Corona Municipal Code a special setback provision of 65 feet from the centerline of Main Street is required for buildings. The Starbucks building is just over 70 feet from the centerline of Main Street. The Downtown designation prescribes an eight-foot setback from the front property line (west) and an eight-foot setback from the street side yard (south), which are provided and will be fully landscaped. Therefore, the proposed project complies with the development standards of the Downtown designation and CMC in terms of setbacks.
The southwest corner of the site currently contains a bronze fire hydrant statute with plaques on all four sides, which was installed by the Corona Historic Preservation Society in October of 1998, to commemorate the location of the city’s first Corona fire station and city hall. The bronze fire hydrant will remain in place and the applicant is granting an easement to the Corona Historic Preservation Society for maintenance purposes. Pictures of the bronze fire hydrant are shown in Exhibit F.
Floor Plan
The coffee shop’s floor plan in shown in Exhibit C. The shop features an indoor dining area that will have a seating capacity of 18 seats. The customer entrance is located on the north side of the building. A service entrance is located on the west and east sides of the building for employees, deliveries, and shipments. The drive-through window will be located on the south side of the building.
Operating Hours
The Starbucks coffee shop’s operating hours will be seven days a week from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Architecture
The new building is a single-story structure with Spanish Colonial architecture that features a combination of stucco walls with brick veneer. The roofline incorporates a tower element and parapet walls. The tower element has a tile roof which helps delineate and enhance the building’s main entrance. The parapet walls help screen rooftop mechanical equipment from view at ground level. The primary colors of the building are white and brick red with various shades of brown accent colors. The height of the building is 25-feet 8-inches, which is below the 60-foot height limit established by the Downtown designation. The building’s proposed design is consistent with the Downtown designation as the specific plan allows a Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean, and Classic architectural design for new buildings. The initial design of the building was reviewed by the Corona Historic Preservation Society. The Corona Historic Preservation Society recommended the building be designed to resemble the Sunday school/Mortuary, the Carnegie Library, and the original city hall. The applicant designed the building by combining the historical architectural elements from the Sunday school/Mortuary with the Spanish Colonial design style. The applicant’s elevation plans are shown in Exhibits D1-D3.
Access, Circulation and Parking
Access to the Corona Mall is currently taken from seven existing shared driveways. Three driveways from Main Street, one driveway from Eighth Street, three driveways from Ramona Avenue, and one driveway from Sixth Street. The westerly driveway on the corner of Main Street and Seventh Street is signalized, which allows for right and left turn movements in and out of the Corona Mall. The most northerly and westerly driveways are the closest driveways to the new Starbucks building; therefore, access is taken from an existing 29-foot wide driveway located on Main Street and an existing 27-foot wide driveway located on Eighth Street. Due to a raised median that exists on Main Street, the driveway on Main Street is limited to a right-in and right-out only turn movements. However, the driveway on Eighth Street allows for right and left turn movements in and out of the Corona Mall.
Main Street is a major arterial and Eighth Street is a collector street on the city’s General Plan circulation map. Additionally, the intersection of Main and Eighth Streets are fully improved with curb, gutter, parkway, and sidewalk and is controlled by a traffic signal. As part of this project, the applicant is required to reconstruct the driveway approach on Eighth Street to comply with the city’s commercial driveway standard, reslurry Eighth Street in front of the project, and replace all broken, cracked or deficient sidewalk panels.
Internal circulation is facilitated by several drive aisles located throughout the site. Entrance into the Starbucks drive-through lane originates at the northeast corner of the site. The drive-through lane extends along the north, west and south sides of the property and exits at the southeast corner of the property. The drive-through lane provides seven vehicle stacking spaces from the menu board and a total of 13 vehicle stacking spaces from the pick-up window. The design exceeds the Corona Municipal Code’s minimum stacking space requirement of six vehicles from the menu board. The parking ratios that were in effect at the time the Corona Mall was originally constructed are as follows:
• 1 parking space for every 375 square feet of ground floor area.
• 1 parking space for every 750 square feet of building area above the ground floor.
The Corona Mall has reciprocal ingress, egress, and parking that is shared among the businesses in the Corona Mall.
Per CMC Section 17.76.050, the above ratios can be applied to the existing Corona Mall buildings regardless of the use of the building. Only new building additions constructed after November 30, 1994 are subject to the current parking standards under CMC Chapter 17.76. Since the Starbucks coffee shop is a new building, the applicable parking ratio for the drive-through coffee house is 1:100.
The above ratios are applicable to both the north and south sides of the Corona Mall, which are located on the east side of Main Street and north and south of Sixth Street. For reference, the proposed Starbucks is located within the South Corona Mall. The Corona Mall parking is shared among the tenants, which includes the north and south mall.
A parking analysis was prepared by Linscott Law & Greenspan in July 2019, demonstrating the parking demand for the north and south Corona Mall. Per the analysis, both areas are required to have a total of 600 parking spaces, and 658 parking spaces are being provided onsite. This analysis includes the development of the new 1,800 square foot Starbucks drive-through coffee shop. Table 1 below shows the parking requirements for the north and south Corona Mall with the proposed Starbucks.
Table 1
Corona Mall Parking Analysis
As demonstrated by Table 1, the mall’s parking would not be impacted by the proposed Starbucks coffee shop. Based on the combined uses of the Corona Mall, a total of 600 parking spaces are required and the Corona Mall provides 658. This count includes the 32 parking spaces being removed on the project site and the nine spaces being added for a net loss of 23 parking spaces.
FOCUSED TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY
A Focused Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was prepared for this project by Linscott Law & Greenspan (May 2019) to analyze the project’s potential traffic impacts in terms of level of service (LOS) and circulation. The project was exempt from performing a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) analysis because the project is located within the City’s Transit Priority Area (TPA).
Per the TIA, the project is anticipated to generate 1,108 net daily trips, with net 80 trips (41 inbound, 39 outbound) produced in the AM peak hour and net 58 trips (29 inbound, 29 outbound) produced in the PM peak hour. Nine intersections and four roadway segments were analyzed within the study area of the project site.
Intersections
1. W. Grand Boulevard at 6th Street
2. Main Street at 3rd Street
3. Main Street at 6th Street
4. Main Street at Stan Reynolds Parkway
5. Main Street at 8th Street
6. Main Street at Grand Boulevard
7. Ramona Avenue at 6th Street
8. Ramona Avenue at 8th Street
9. E. Grand Boulevard at 6th Street
Roadway Segments
1. Main Street, north of 8th Street
2. Main Street, south of 8th Street
3. 6th Street, between Main Street and Ramona Avenue
4. 8th Street, between Main Street and Ramona Avenue
The City of Corona considers LOS D to be the minimum acceptable LOS for all intersections that consist of collector and arterial roadways. In addition, the City of Corona considers LOS C to be the minimum acceptable LOS for local and collector streets in residential and industrial areas. The City of Corona General Plan Circulation Element Policy 6.1.6 states:
Maintain Level of Service D or better on arterial streets wherever possible. At some key locations, such as at heavily traveled freeway interchanges, LOS E may be adopted as the acceptable standard, on a case-by-case basis. Locations that may warrant the LOS E standard include Lincoln Avenue at SR-91, Main Street at SR-91, McKinley Avenue at SR-91, Hidden Valley Parkway at I-15, Cajalco Road at I-15 and Weirick Road at I-15. A higher standard such as Level of Service C or better may be adopted for local and collector streets in residential areas.
For the existing traffic conditions without the project the intersection at Ramona Avenue and 6th Street operates at an unacceptable Level of Service E (LOS E) during the p.m. peak hours whereas the remainder of the studied intersections operate at an acceptable LOS in accordance with the city’s General Plan. The existing unacceptable LOS at Ramona Avenue and 6th Street is cumulative in nature due to existing conditions and not project specific. The intersection continues to operate at LOS E in the p.m. peak hours in existing conditions with the project while the other intersections continue to operate at acceptable levels of service.
In Year 2021 without project traffic conditions, the intersection at Ramona Avenue and 6th Street operates at an unacceptable LOS F in the p.m. peak hours. The LOS is the same when project traffic is added to the traffic conditions in Year 2021. Again, the unacceptable LOS is cumulative in nature.
To mitigate the deficient level of service in the p.m. peak hours at the intersection of Ramona Street and 6th Street, the TIA recommends signage be installed to restrict the northbound through and left-turn movements during the PM peak period (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.). This restriction would require vehicles to use Main Street to access 6th Street to the west of Ramona Avenue during the p.m. peak period.
In existing conditions without and with the project and in Year 2021 under the same scenario, the studied roadway segments will operate at acceptable levels of service.
Drive-through Queuing Assessment
The Public Works Department requested the inclusion of a queuing analysis in the TIA for the proposed Starbucks with drive-through service. The queuing assessment was prepared using empirical queuing studies of two existing Starbucks facilities located within a similar development setting. Queuing observations were collected between 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with the observed vehicular queues recorded at one minute intervals between: 1) the drive-through entrance and the order board, and 2) the order board and the pick-up window. The queuing analysis indicated that on average, a queue of 7 vehicles in the drive-through lane can be expected during the morning and midday peak period, with an 85th percentile queue of approximately 11 vehicles and a 95th percentile queue of approximately 13 vehicles. The 85th percentile queue represents the number of vehicles that can be expected in the drive-through lane during the peak period, and indicates that 85 percent of the drive-through customers will wait in a line no longer than 11 vehicles. The 95th percentile queue indicates that 95 percent of the drive-through customers will wait in a line no longer than 13 vehicles.
The proposed project has a capacity of 13 vehicles in the drive-through lane without encroaching into the drive aisles. Therefore, the project’s queue design provides adequate stacking to accommodate the 95th percentile queue.
Landscaping
As shown in Exhibit E, the applicant’s landscape plan illustrates landscaping around the building, parking lot, on both sides of the drive-through lane, and along the north, south and west perimeters of the property. The plant pallet features a variety of drought tolerant materials including three types of trees, flowering shrubs, green hedges, and ground cover. Several existing parkway trees will also be protected in place. The main entrances on Main and Eighth Streets will be enhanced with 36-inch box Jacaranda trees. Also, the drive-through entry will be enhanced with a 24-inch box Crape Myrtle tree. The applicant is required to provide a 3-foot headlight buffer along the drive-through lane at time of planting to prevent vehicle headlights from spilling over onto the adjacent streets. The proposed landscaping complies with the City’s Landscape Design Guidelines for commercial properties, the Corona Municipal Code, and the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan.
Signage
No monument sign is proposed for Starbucks; however, exterior wall signs are conceptually shown on the north, east and south elevations of the building (Exhibits D1-D3). Wall signs are required to comply with the sign standards under the Downtown designation which allows one square foot of sign area for every one lineal foot of building elevation not to exceed 150 square feet. The allowable square footage, height, and location of the proposed signs will be reviewed under a separate permit by the Community Development Department prior to installation.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
A Notice of Exemption was prepared for the project because the proposed drive-through coffee shop is 1,800 square feet and qualifies as New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures under Section 15303 and In-Fill Development Projects under Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.21, Class 3 and Class 32, respectively of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines. Additionally, the project is consistent with the MUD (Mixed Use Downtown) General Plan Designation, the project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species, and approval of the project would not result in significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water. Therefore, there is no possibility that the project may have any significant adverse effects on the environment. The Notice of Exemption is attached as Exhibit H.
FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant paid $6,998.00 in application processing fees for the conditional use permit application.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
A 10-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 response from the public regarding the proposal.
STAFF ANALYSIS
The proposed project would result in the development of a 1,800 square foot Starbucks coffee shop with drive-through service on property that was previously developed as a parking lot for the Corona Mall. The proposed use is allowed by conditional use permit in the Downtown designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan. As demonstrated by the applicant’s plans, the project is capable of complying with the development standards of the Downtown designation in terms of setbacks, parking, landscaping, and building height. The architecture and color scheme proposed for the building is consistent with the requirement in the Specific Plan and compatible with the surrounding area. Also, the applicant will be landscaping the entire pad which will further enhance the Corona Mall.
Development of the proposed project would fulfil several General Plan policies including Policies 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3 and 1.11.1 which all encourage and emphasize having a community that contains a diversity of land uses that support the needs of Corona’s residents and help maintain Corona as a self-sustaining city. The project also fulfills General Plan Policy 1.4.4 which encourages the adaptive re-use of economically underutilized commercial sites that are within existing urbanized areas. Therefore, CUP2019-0009 is recommended for approval based on the following findings.
FINDINGS OF APPROVAL FOR CUP2019-0009
1. A preliminary exemption assessment has been conducted by the City of Corona and it has shown that this project does not require further environmental assessment because the project qualifies as a Class 3 Categorical Exemption per Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) and Class 32 Categorical Exemption per Section 15332 (In-Fill Development Projects) under CEQA. The project consists of a 1,800 square foot Starbucks coffee shop with drive-through services and does not involve the use of hazardous substances. In addition, the project is consistent with the MUD General Plan Designation, the project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species, and approval of the project would not result in significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water. Therefore, there is no possibility that the project will have any significant effect on the environment.
2. All conditions necessary to granting a Conditional Use Permit as set forth in Chapter 17.92 of the Corona Municipal Code do not exist in reference to CUP2019-0009 for the following reasons:
a. The proposal is consistent with the Mixed Use Downtown land use designation of the General Plan because this land use is intended for commercial uses and the proposal is a Starbucks coffee shop with drive-through service.
b. The proposal complies with the Downtown designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan because the proposal is a coffee shop with drive-through service which is permitted in the Downtown designation with a conditional use permit, and complies with the development standards of the specific plan.
c. The proposal has been reviewed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and all applicable requirements and procedures of the act have been followed. As justified in Finding #1, the project is exempt from further review.
d. The site is of sufficient size and configuration to accommodate the design and scale of the proposed development, including the building and elevations, landscaping, parking and other physical features of the proposal, as demonstrated in Exhibit A2 of this report.
e. The design, scale and layout of the proposed development will not unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of neighboring existing or future developments, will not create traffic or pedestrian hazards, and will not otherwise have a negative impact on the aesthetics, health, safety or welfare of neighboring uses because the proposal complies with the City’s development standards for the Downtown designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan.
f. The architectural design of the proposed coffee shop with drive-through service is compatible with the building character of the downtown area, will enhance the visual character of the Corona Mall and surrounding properties by improving an underutilized infill property, and will provide for harmonious, orderly and attractive development of the site.
g. The design of the proposed development will provide a desirable environment for its occupants and visiting public as well as its neighbors through good aesthetic use of materials, texture, and color that is aesthetically appealing and will retain a reasonably adequate level of maintenance. As shown by the applicant’s plans, the architecture of the building features construction materials that are commonly used in commercial buildings and are quality in nature. The color scheme is visually appealing, and the new landscaping will update and enhance the overall look of the Corona Mall.
3. The proposal is consistent with the General Plan for the following reasons:
a. The project site has a General Plan land use designation of Mixed Use Downtown which accommodates a wide range of commercial services, including coffee shops with drive-through service.
b. The project includes high quality building materials and architectural elements that are consistent with General Plan Policy 1.4.4 which encourages the adaptive re-use of economically underutilized commercial sites that are within existing urbanized areas because the Downtown designation will allow the site to be redeveloped with a coffee shop with drive-through services.
c. The project fulfills General Plan Policies 1.1.1, 1.1.2. 1.1.3, and 1.11.1 which all encourage and emphasize having a community that contains a variety of land uses that support the needs of Corona’s residents and help maintain Corona as a self-sustaining city because the proposed coffee shop with drive-through service will provide the city’s service population access to additional coffee establishments.
4. The proposal is consistent with the Downtown designation of the Downtown Corona Revitalization Specific Plan (SP98-01) for the following reason:
a. The project is consistent with the Downtown designation because the proposed coffee shop with drive-through service is a permitted use in the Downtown designation with a conditional use permit. The project is also capable of complying with the development standards of the Downtown designation such as building setbacks, building height, parking, and landscaping.
PREPARED BY: LUPITA GARCIA, ASSISTANT PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA YANG, SENIOR PLANNER
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 2542
2. Locational and zoning map
3. Exhibits A1-A2 - Overall Site Plan and Enlarged Site Plan
4. Exhibit B - Conditions of Approval
5. Exhibit C - Floor Plan
6. Exhibits D1-D3 - Elevations and Architectural Renderings
7. Exhibit E - Color Landscape Plans
8. Exhibit F - Photo of bronze fire hydrant
9. Exhibit G - Applicant’s letter
10. Exhibit H - Environmental Documentation
Case Planner: Lupita Garcia (951) 736-2293