AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 09/16/2020
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration of Precise Plan Modification 2020-0002 to Precise Plan 2018-0002 originally approved on May 7, 2018, to add two new single family floorplans with various architectural themes for the remaining 137 lots within Tract 36541 located south of Green River Road and Sierra Bella Drive, in the Low Density Residential designation of the Sierra Bella Specific Plan SP04-001. (Applicant: Lennar Homes of California, Inc.)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission's action granting PPM2020-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
Body
ANALYSIS:
Background
PPM2020-0002 is a modification to the originally approved precise plan, PP2018-0002, on May 7, 2018, for Tract 36541 currently being developed by Lennar Homes. The project name is commonly known as Sierra Bella and consists of 237 single family residential lots. The project site is located south of Green River Road and Sierra Bella Drive in the LDR-1 (Low Density Residential) zone of the Sierra Bella Specific Plan.
Tract 36541 has been entirely graded and all the public improvements associated with the project have been constructed. All 237 lots are finished and ready for housing unit construction. The original precise plan was approved with two product lines that are being marketed under the names Sonata and Adagio. The Sonata line featured a combination of single-story and two-story floorplans ranging in size from 2,497 to 3,401 square feet. Sonata had four floorplans and three varied architectural styles, which included Italianate, Bungalow, and Tuscan.
The Adagio line also featured a combination of single-story and two-story floorplans ranging in size from 2,624 to 4,187 square feet. Adagio had four floor plans, and four varied architectural styles which included Spanish Eclectic, Italian, European Cottage, and Traditional.
Since sales began in December 2018, Lennar Homes has constructed 87 houses between the two approved product lines and has found that the products are not widely well received by potential home buyers. The developer intends to build 13 more lots with the approved product and is proposing to build the remaining 137 lots with the new product lines proposed by PPM2020-0002. The new product lines will be marketed under the names Toccata and Crescendo. Toccata will be entirely single-story homes and Crescendo will be entirely two-story homes. Both products will include Lennar’s NexGen home floorplan that has been well-received and widely sold in other communities. The NexGen home floorplan includes a separate living space, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette under the same roof. The NexGen home floorplan also includes access from inside the home as well as a separate exterior entrance. Lennar has indicated that this floorplan is popular with families that have older children living in the home or aging parents. The hope is that the change in the floorplans will be more marketable for the Corona housing market. The applicant is not proposing any changes to the approved architectural styles.
Neighborhood Outreach
Since the Planning and Housing Commission meeting and as of the preparation of this staff report, Lennar scheduled a neighborhood open house for the existing residents of Sierra Bella to discuss the proposed floorplans being introduced into the development. The open house is scheduled on September 9, 2020, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Lennar’s sales team and management will be present to show and discuss the new floorplans with the property owners that have purchased homes in Sierra Bella.
Toccata Product
The Toccata product will be primarily located along the center and at the east end of the development and will be plotted on 74 lots. The Toccata product includes three floorplans ranging from 2,365 to 2,944 square feet. All three floor plans are single-story with two to four bedrooms. The single-story design is meant to appeal to home buyers who are downsizing for various reasons and to individuals that prefer single story houses. Table A provides a side-by-side comparison of the original (Sonata) and new (Toccata) floorplans.
Table A
Floorplan and Architectural Summary
|
|
Original Floorplans for Sonata |
Proposed Floorplans for Toccata |
|
Number of Floor Plans |
4 |
3 |
|
Floor Plan Sizes: Plan 1 Plan 2 Plan 3 Plan 4 |
2,497 sq. ft. 2,891 sq. ft. 3,085 sq. ft. 3,401 sq. ft. |
2,365 sq. ft. 2,765 sq. ft. 2,944 sq. ft. (Includes NexGen home) |
|
Number of Floors |
1-story and 2-story |
1-story |
|
Architectural Styles |
Italianate Bungalow Tuscan |
Italianate Bungalow Tuscan |
|
Architectural Changes |
|
Italianate style added wood shutters to a front window and a shelf under the front window to create a pop-out feature. |
|
|
|
Bungalow style changed the front column from a tapered stucco column to a double wood post with stone veneer. |
|
|
|
Tuscan style added a shelf under the front window to create a pop-out feature. |
The largest floorplan is described by the applicant as a multi-generational home because it features a 569 square foot “NexGen home” within the home. This area is designed as an independent space with its own bedroom, bathroom, sitting area, washer and dryer closet, space for a full-size refrigerator, and counter space for counter-top kitchen appliances, such as a microwave. The NexGen home is accessible from within the home and has its own separate side-door entrance.
Another key item for the Toccata floorplans is Lennar’s sloping ceiling feature located in the great room, which creates a traditional joist and beam interior design element. The sloping ceiling feature has been a major selling point for Lennar.
The architectural styles for Toccata include Italianate, Bungalow, and Tuscan, which are consistent with the design themes established in the Specific Plan and identical to the architectural styles approved for the Sonata product line.
Crescendo Product
The Crescendo product will be located at the southwest perimeter of the site and will be plotted on 63 lots. The Crescendo product features three floorplans which are all two-stories ranging from 3,423 to 4,134 square feet. A NexGen home is also included within the largest floor plan. The NexGen home includes its own bedroom, sitting room, retreat, kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom. It has access from within the main home and a separate side-door entrance. Table B provides a side-by-side comparison of the original (Adagio) and new (Crescendo) floorplans.
The architectural styles for Crescendo include Spanish Eclectic, Italian, European Cottage, and Traditional, which are consistent with the design themes established in the Specific Plan and identical to the architectural styles approved for the Adagio product line.
Table B
Floorplan and Architectural Summary
|
|
Original Floorplans for Adagio |
Proposed Floorplans for Crescendo |
|
Number of Floor Plans |
4 |
3 |
|
Floor Plan Sizes Plan 1 Plan 2 Plan 3 Plan 4 |
2,624 sq. ft. 3,288 sq. ft. 3,654 sq. ft. 4,187 sq. ft. |
3,423 sq. ft. 3,912 sq. ft. 4,134 sq. ft. (Includes NexGen home) |
|
Number of Floors |
1-story and 2-story |
2-story |
|
Architectural Styles |
Spanish Eclectic Italian European Cottage Traditional |
Spanish Eclectic Italian European Cottage Traditional |
|
Architectural Changes |
|
Spanish Eclectic added wood shutters to the front second floor window. |
|
|
|
Italian changed the grid pattern for the vinyl windows. |
|
|
|
European Cottage style removed the stone veneer around the garage door. The stone veneer around the front door was maintained to draw attention to the home’s main entrance. Traditional style added a front porch with wood posts and removed the roof awning above the second-floor window. |
Landscaping
The project’s landscape plan was already approved by the original precise plan. However, the front yard landscaping is being modified to accommodate the new floorplans. A California-friendly plant palette will continue to be used for the new product which consists of low water use trees and ground cover for the slope areas and low to medium water use trees for street trees and parkways.
No changes are proposed to the project’s approved Fuel Modification Plan which appropriately establishes irrigated wet zones, non-combustible construction areas and special maintenance areas relative to the portions of the development that are near significant slopes and/or wildland areas. The Fuel Modification Plan was approved by the Corona Fire Department with the original precise plan.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid $7,658.00 in application processing fees for the Precise Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15162 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), no subsequent environmental evaluation is required when an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been certified for a project and no substantial changes have been made to the project. On August 17, 2005, the City Council certified the Sierra Bella Specific Plan EIR. PPM2020-0002 does not change the current configuration of the project site or alter the grading that has already occurred on the site. The project is a cosmetic change to the residential units that are capable of fitting within the residential lots already graded on the property. Therefore, the modified project will not result in new significant environmental effects from that previously analyzed in the EIR. A Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of August 24, 2020, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland\Meza) and carried with Chair Alexander voting no, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2560 granting PPM2020-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: ROGER BRADLEY, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JACOB ELLIS, CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and Zoning Map
2. Exhibit 2- Site Plan for PPM2020-0002
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of August 24, 2020
APPLICANT INFORMATION
Jennifer Johnson with Lennar Homes of California, Inc., 980 Montecito Drive, Suite 302, Corona CA 92879