For the Planning Commission Meeting of March 19, 2025
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Colby Cataldi, Director of Community Development
REVIEWED BY: Paul Gonzales, Community Development Manager
FROM: Daniel Rosas, Senior Planner
Title
Tentative Tract Map No. 2024-0001 (20709), Conditional Development Permit No. 2024-0004, Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0008 (MC2024-0009) & Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0011: A request to allow the consolidation 4.99 acres of land (APNs: 0128-361-24 & -20) located on the northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Spruce Avenue within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan into one (1) residential condominium lot with easements for ingress and egress for emergency vehicle purposes, for private street and utility purposes to facilitate the development of a residential project consisting of eighty-one (81) attached condominium dwelling units with private streets and amenities. This project is categorically exempt pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0011).
Body
APPLICANT:
Warmington Residential California, Inc., 3090 Pullman Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
LOCATION:
The project site consists of two (2) parcels of land (APNs: 0128-361-24 & -20) located on the northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Spruce Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding Land Use and Zoning
|
Location |
Existing Land Use |
Zoning |
|
Site |
Vacant Land |
Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) |
|
North |
Single-Family Residences |
Single-Family Residential (R-1B) |
|
East |
Vacant Land |
Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) |
|
South |
Vacant Land / Retail / Office |
Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) |
|
West |
Residential Condominiums/Single-Family Residences |
Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) |
General Plan Land Use Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
North |
Residential 6 (2.1 - 6.0 dwelling units per acre) |
|
East |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
South |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
West |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat, rectangular-shaped piece of land comprised of (2) two parcels. The project site is 4.99 acres in size with approximate dimensions of 557.8 feet (east-west) by 390 feet (north-south). The project site is entirely undeveloped and covered only with natural grass. The project site is bordered by Spruce Avenue to the west, Foothill Boulevard to the south, single family residences to the north, and vacant parcel to the east.
Surrounding Area
To the west, across Spruce Avenue, is a residential condominium and single-family residential neighborhood within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan. To the south, across Foothill Boulevard, is an existing market, vacant land, office building and new hotel construction within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan. To the east, is a vacant parcel of land. To the north of the project site, is a single-family residential neighborhood zoned Single-Family Residential (R-1B).
Development Standards of the FMUZ
Minimum Project Size: ½ acre
Maximum Density: 35.0 dwelling units per acre
Maximum Building Height: 5 Stories or 60 feet
Minimum Setbacks: 7 feet abutting a Residential Zone
5 feet abutting a Public Street
Minimum Landscape Coverage: 10.0% of the project site
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
Warmington Residential California, Inc. proposes to develop the 5-acre project site into a private residential neighborhood consisting of eight-one (81) attached condominium dwelling units across twenty 2-story buildings, private streets, recreational amenities, and landscaping. The project includes the consolidation of the project site into one (1) residential condominium lot with easements for the private streets and utilities.
Entitlement Requirements
According to Table 5.1 (Permitted Uses) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan, the development of residential dwellings in the FMUZ is a permitted use when located above ground floor and a conditionally permitted use when located on the ground floor. As such, the proposal requires the review and approval of a precise plan of design application and a conditional development permit in conjunction with the tentative map application process.
Tentative Tract Map No. 2024-0001 (TTM 20709)
Section 17.12.010 of the Rialto Municipal Code requires a tentative parcel map application to consolidate the project site into one (1) residential condominium lot with easements for private streets and utilities (Exhibit B) to facilitate the development project and the applicant complied with this requirement filing Tentative Parcel Map No. 2024-0001 with the Planning Division on March 25, 2024. A condominium plan will further divide each residential condominium lot into “airspace” to create eighty-one (81) for-sale residential condominium dwelling units. After street dedication, the overall size of the residential neighborhood is 4.99 net acres, which is substantially larger than the minimum project size of 0.5 acre required by the FMUZ.
Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0008 (PPD2024-0008)
In conjunction with the tentative map, the applicant filed a precise plan of design application (Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0008) for the site design and architectural review of the proposed private neighborhood with eighty-one (81) condominium dwelling and amenities. The proposed project is consistent with the development standards and design guidelines of the Foothill Central Specific Plan.
Conditional Development Permit No. 2024-0004 (CDP2024-0004)
According to Table 5.1 (Permitted Uses) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan, the FMUZ district allows a variety of uses on the ground floor including conditionally permitted residential uses. Therefore, the applicant has also filed a conditional development permit application to allow the proposed residential dwellings located on the ground floor of the FMUZ of the Foothill Central Specific Plan.
Density
As proposed, the residential neighborhood will have a density of 16.2 dwelling units per acre, which is significantly less than the 35.0 dwelling units per acre maximum density allowed in the FMUZ.
Neighborhood Site Design
According to the site plan (Exhibit C), the applicant will construct twenty (20) condominium structures on the project site in alternating orientations throughout the neighborhood. The building setbacks between the public right-of-way and the new structures adjacent to the public right-of-way will range from 10 feet to 24 feet, all further than the minimum setback of 5 feet required by the FMUZ district. The building setbacks between residentially zoned properties abutting the project site and the new structures adjacent to those properties will range from 7 feet to 18.3 feet, all meeting or exceeding the minimum setback of 7 feet required by FMUZ district.
The neighborhood will have two (2) access points - one (1) driveway connected to Spruce Avenue that will allow full access in and out of the neighborhood and one (1) driveway connected to Foothill Boulevard that will only provide access to emergency vehicles. Internally, a 34-foot-wide private street system will provide access throughout the inside of the neighborhood to each of the residential structures. The primary access point off Spruce Avenue will feature significant amounts of landscaping, decorative paving, and neighborhood identification signage.
The applicant will also construct and install several amenities throughout the site, in accordance with the requirements of the Foothill Central Specific Plan. The amenities include a park pavilion located in the center of the neighborhood, featuring a community garden and two (2) barbeques with picnic area as well as a second activity lawn area.
Product Design
Each new condominium structure will have a height of two-stories and will feature four (4) distinct plan types -Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 3, and Plan 4 (Exhibit D). The floor area of these condominium plans will range from 1,377 square feet to 1,715 square feet. Each individual dwelling unit will feature three (3) bedrooms with some four (4) bedroom options, two and one-half (2.5) bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The exterior of structures will come in two (2) different architectural styles - Italian and Spanish (Exhibit E). The Italian style structures will feature a smooth stucco exterior finish painted with a series of warm neutral colors, hip-style roofs with concrete tile roofing material, trim lines, planter boxes, window trim and shutters, and corbels. The Spanish style structures will feature a standard stucco exterior finish painted gray, gable-style roofs with concrete tile roofing material, shed roofs, decorative gable vents, window trim and shutters, and corbels. The condominium structures proposed along both street frontages will have enhanced building elevations which incorporate additional amounts of stone veneer and architectural window treatments (Exhibit F) to improve the views from the public right-of-way.
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 19 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10 percent. This includes landscaping within the setbacks along Foothill Boulevard and Spruce Avenue, as well as interior landscaping around condominium structures, and the previously mentioned amenities. In addition to the on-site landscaping, the applicant will also install landscaping within the public right-of-way parkways on Foothill Boulevard and Spruce Avenue. As shown on the preliminary landscape site plan (Exhibit G), all of the landscaped areas will feature a variety of trees spaced every thirty (30) linear feet and an abundant amount of shrubs and groundcover.
Fences and Walls
The preliminary landscape site plan also identifies the proposed fencing and walls for the neighborhood. According to the Wall and Fence plan (Exhibit H), the applicant will install a six (6) foot high tubular steel view fence along the south and west sides of the neighborhood and a six (6) foot high split-face block wall along the north and east sides of the neighborhood. The fences and walls will feature six (6) foot tall by eighteen (18) inch square split-face masonry block pilasters approximately every fifty (50) linear feet, which will serve to provide relief along lengthy expanses of the fences and walls. Lastly, the applicant will also install gates at each of the two (2) access points into the site in order to provide security and exclusivity to the residents that will reside within the neighborhood.
Parking
Parking within the new neighborhood will come in the form of garage spaces and parallel spaces within the internal private street system. In total, the neighborhood will contain 183 parking spaces for the 81 dwelling units, with 162 of the parking spaces enclosed within garages. This quantity meets the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Foothill Central Specific Plan, which requires two (2) parking spaces within an enclosed garage for each dwelling unit and one (1) guest parking space for every four (4) dwelling units in total:
|
Type of Use |
Number of Units |
Parking Ratio (Spaces/Unit) |
Number of spaces required |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Condominiums Guest Parking |
81 81 |
2 / 1 1 / 4 |
162 21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required/Total Provided |
|
|
183/183 |
Traffic Impact Analysis
TJW Engineering, Inc. prepared a project-specific Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) (Exhibit I), dated August 2024, to assess potential impacts to local streets and intersections. The TIA indicates that the project will generate approximately 553 daily passenger car trips, with 33 AM peak hour trips and 42 PM peak hour trips. The traffic study determined that the project is responsible for a “fair-share” payment towards the signalization of Foothill Boulevard and Larch Avenue based on the fair share percentage specified in Table 12 therein. The project is also responsible for payment of any applicable development impact fees related to traffic. All street improvements and “fair-share” payments, as established by the traffic study, must be paid and/or completed prior to occupancy.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The project is consistent with the following goals of the Land Use Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-19: Encourage neighborhood preservation, stabilization, and property maintenance.
Goal 2-21: Ensure high-quality planned developments in Rialto.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
The applicant engaged EPC Environmental to prepare an exemption checklist (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0011) to determine environmental compliance for the proposed project. The exemption checklist is attached to the agenda report (Exhibit J). Based on the provided technical studies and impact analysis reports conducted pertaining to the proposed project, approval of the project would not result in significant effects on traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality and meets all criteria to qualify for the Infill Development Project exemption according to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City mailed a public hearing notice for the proposed project to all property owners within 660 feet of the project site, posted copies of the public hearing notice on the project site, and published the public hearing notice in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
- Determine the project is Categorically Exempt per Section 15332 (Class 32) In-Fill Development Project of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); and
-
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit K) to approval Tentative Tract Map No. 2024-0001 (TTM 20709) to allow the consolidation of 4.99 acres of land (APNs: 0128-361-24 & -20) into one (1) residential condominium lot with easements for private streets and utilities to facilitate the development project, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
-
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit L) to approval Conditional Development Permit No. 2024-0004 to allow the proposed residential dwellings located on the ground floor of the FMUZ district in conjunction with the development of the project, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
-
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit M) to approval Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0008 to allow the development of a private gated-neighborhood consisting of eight-one (81) attached condominium dwelling units across twenty 2-story buildings, private streets, recreational amenities, and landscaping located on the northeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Spruce Avenue (APNs: 0128-361-24 & -20) within the FMUZ district of the Foothill Central Specific Plan, subject to the findings and conditions therein.