REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 03/06/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
PRECISE PLAN 2022-0003 TO REVIEW THE SITE PLAN, ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPING AND OTHER PHYSICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS TOTALING 334,520 SQUARE FEET, LOCATED AT 1375 MAGNOLIA AVENUE IN THE BUSINESS PARK LAND USE DESIGNATION OF THE CORONA MAGNOLIA SPECIFIC PLAN (APPLICANT: JEREMY MAPE, B9 MAGNOLIA OWNERS, LLC.)
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to affirm the decision by the Planning and Housing Commission to approve Precise Plan 2022-0003 (PP2022-0003) for the site design of two industrial buildings totaling 334,520 square feet located on 16.6 acres in the Business Park land use designation of the Corona Magnolia Specific Plan. The project site is located near the northeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and El Camino Avenue.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting PP2022-0003, 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
BACKGROUND:
The project site was the previous location of Clow Valve, a waterworks valve and hydrant manufacturer. The site once contained several manufacturing buildings that have since been demolished by the applicant.
As part of the property’s historical use, chemicals were used and released at the project site. The hazardous substances are the subject of a current remedial action under the regulatory direction of the Department of Toxic and Substance Control (DTSC) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This includes metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and hydrocarbons found in the soil within parts of the property. Extensive cleanup efforts were completed by the prior owner. The final cleanup will involve the placement of an engineered soil and cement cap with the project’s buildings over the contaminated areas. Furthermore, future grading activities associated with the project are subject to the guidelines in the Soils Management Plan (SMP) approved by the DTSC.
ANALYSIS:
Site Plan
The project entails the redevelopment of the 16.6-acre project site with two new industrial buildings. Building 1 is located on the western portion of the property and has ground floor and mezzanine space totaling 238,370 square feet. Building 1 is designed to accommodate up to four future tenants and includes truck loading along the eastern side of the building with a total of 22 dock-high doors. The truck loading area for Building 1 is oriented between both buildings. The loading area will be screened from Magnolia Avenue by a 12-foot-high concrete tilt-up wall and metal gate.
Building 2 is located on the eastern portion of the project site and has ground floor and mezzanine space totaling 96,150 square feet. Building 2 is designed to accommodate up to two future tenants and includes truck loading along the eastern side of the building with a total of 10 dock-high doors. While the truck loading area is oriented along the eastern side of the building, this area will be screened from Magnolia Avenue by a 12-foot-high concrete tilt-up screen wall located behind the front yard setback area. Additional screening will be provided by a tubular steel fence with climbing vines to screen the loading area from westbound traffic on Magnolia Avenue.
The buildings are set back 68 to 88 feet from Magnolia Avenue. Building 1 is set back 64 feet from the west property line and over 41 feet from the north property line (adjacent to the channel). Building 2 is set back 46 to 210 feet from the east property line (adjacent to the channel). The buildings exceed the minimum required building setbacks required by the Specific Plan for the Business Park designation, which are 15 feet from Magnolia Avenue and 10 feet from the flood control channel. No building setback is required from internal property lines.
Parking
The project requires a total of 414 parking spaces for both buildings. The project is capable of meeting this requirement by providing 426 parking spaces utilizing the city’s parking ratios of 1:250 square feet for office and 1:1000 square feet of warehouse space. Building 1 provides 289 parking spaces and Building 2 provides 137 parking spaces.
Architecture
The buildings consist of concrete tilt-up construction, with decorative architectural focal points at the main office entrance areas. The building facades feature reveals along all panel walls, spandrel glass and decorative metal canopies throughout focal points of all building elevations. Colors consist of whites, a variety of greys, blue reflective glazing, and clear anodized mullions.
The height of the buildings do not exceed 41 feet, which is within the maximum allowable height limit of 95 feet per the Corona Magnolia Specific Plan.
Signage
The applicant proposes three project identification monument signs, one located at the southwest corner of the site near the Magnolia and El Camino intersection and the remaining two located at the entrance of each driveway on Magnolia Avenue. The monument signs include the name of the center along with the site address. The height of the signs is five feet. Wall signs on the building and freestanding directional signage within the project site are also proposed.
The freestanding monument and directional signs are architecturally consistent with the project, including materials and colors.
Landscaping
The Conceptual Landscape Plan includes a variety of evergreen screen trees ranging from 24-to-36-inch box trees, a variety of screen shrubs, screen vines and groundcovers. Additional 36-inch box accent trees are proposed at the project’s Magnolia Avenue frontage to enhance the project entrance, with 24-inch box perimeter trees proposed along the site’s entire front setback area.
Due to the soil condition on a portion of the project site and the obligations of the approved Soil Management Plan (SMP), landscape areas within the soil cap will be limited to decomposed granite, cobblers and gravel, and low-level shrubbery as feasible. Trees in this area will be limited, however, where ground mounding is permitted, trees are proposed to be planted in those areas.
Grading
Grading activities associated with the project include 30,500 cubic yards (cy) of cut and 36,900 cy of fill, requiring the import of approximately 6,400 cy of soil material. Project grading would include the removal of existing compacted fill soils at depths between 5 and 7.5 feet, and over-excavation would be required to establish the proposed building pads.
Perimeter Fencing and Walls
Perimeter fencing is proposed in the following manner.
• An existing chain-link fence located along the western property line will be replaced with a 9-foot high masonry wall;
• 12-foot-high concrete tilt-up screen walls will be placed at the entrances of both truck yards along with motorized rolling gates with dense opaque meshing to screen the truck yard areas from Magnolia Avenue;
• Approximately 125 feet of existing chain-link fencing behind the front setback area along the eastern property line will be replaced with an 8-foot-high tubular steel fencing enhanced with 9-foot high splitface pilasters; and
• 8-foot-high tubular steel fence is proposed between Buildings 1 and 2 with dense meshing within the first 175 feet to provide added screening within Building 1’s truck yard area.
Access and Circulation
Vehicular access to the project site will be provided from Magnolia Avenue via two 50-foot-wide driveways. The southwest driveway will have a new four-way signalized intersection with Sherborn Avenue to the south to allow for full access. The applicant is responsible for completing the signal improvements at this intersection which includes the construction of a new signal on Sherborn Avenue facing the southwest driveway and modifying the existing traffic signals to include signalization for the southwest driveway. The east driveway will be restricted to right-in and right-out access due to a raised median that will be constructed on Magnolia Avenue in front of the east driveway. Both driveways will be enhanced with a stamped and stained concrete pattern. Pedestrian access to the buildings will be provided from the sidewalk via on-site walkways.
Based on the project’s trip generation analysis prepared by the applicant’s licensed traffic engineer Urban Crossroads (dated February 1, 2022), the project is forecast to generate vehicular and truck traffic from construction and operational activities. The project is forecast to generate a combined 1,268 trips per day with 114 trips in the AM peak hour and 119 trips in the PM peak hour. The prior use on the property generated a total of 904 trips per day with 120 trips in the AM peak hour and 130 trips in the PM peak hour. As a result, the project is anticipated to generate 364 more trips per day with 6 fewer AM and 11 fewer PM peak hour trips compared to the prior use.
Public Improvements
The applicant is required to dedicate an additional 25 feet of right-of-way for Magnolia Avenue and construct the missing public improvements along the north side of Magnolia Avenue adjacent to the project site. The improvements include the construction of a 14-foot-wide raised median, travel lanes along the northern side of the roadway ranging in width from 48 to 53 feet (with the additional width occurring at the approach to El Camino Avenue), curb and gutter, and a 12-foot-wide landscaped parkway that includes sidewalk adjacent to curb.
Railroad crossing improvements associated with the BNSF railroad in the immediate area are currently part of the City’s Magnolia Avenue Bridge Widening project, which is a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) planned by the Public Works Department. The applicant will be entering into a Cost Reimbursement Agreement for the construction of certain improvements to the railroad. The applicant and the Public Works Department are currently evaluating a fair share cost to be borne by the applicant for certain improvements associated with the railroad on the north side of Magnolia Avenue that will transition from the public improvements being constructed on Magnolia Avenue adjacent to the project site.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $18,574.89 to cover the cost of the Precise Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15070(b) of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 6.02 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) was prepared for the project since the Initial Study identified that the project’s potentially significant effects to the environment are capable of being mitigated to less than significant. Therefore, based on the project’s mitigation measures and mitigation monitoring and reporting program identified in the MND, there is no substantial evidence, in light of the whole record before the City, that the project may have a significant or potentially significant effect on the environment.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of February 12, 2024, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Longwell/Alexander) and carried unanimously, with Vice Chair Vernon and Commissioner Siqueland absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2621 granting PP2022-0003 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, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 - Site plan for PP2022-0003
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
4. Exhibit 4 - Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of February 12, 2024