FROM:
Planning Department
TITLE:
Title
Master Case No. 20-099R1 - Specific Plan Amendment No. 21-001 and General Plan Amendment No. 21-006 - A request to receive comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) for a General Plan Amendment and Specific Plan Amendment to modify the General Plan and Specific Plan land uses and comprehensive modification to the overall Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission: 1) Open the public hearing on the Draft SEIR prepared for the Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan Amendment to receive comments from members of the public; and, 2) Review and provide Planning Commission comments on the Draft SEIR; and, 3) Direct staff to address comments received in the Final SEIR.
APPLICANT:
Frontier Enterprises
Stephen King
2151 E. Convention Center Way, Suite No. 110
Ontario, CA 90212
LOCATION:
The project site is composed of eight (8) parcels totaling approximately 102 acres. The proposed revisions to the Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Project (Project), is located south of the I-15 Freeway, west of Citrus Avenue, south and north of Duncan Canyon Road.
REQUEST:
This request is to receive comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) State Clearinghouse No. 2021100400 for a comprehensive modification to the overall Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan and associated General Plan Amendment to modify the project site land uses, which will allow for the potential development of up to 476,500 square feet of commercial uses, up to 1,671 dwelling units in three separate residential villages, a focal point piazza (public square), and the construction of the realigned Lytle Creek Road, on an approximately 102-acre site.
PROJECT PLANNER:
Salvador Quintanilla, Associate Planner
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
B. Environmental Review Finding:
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, a Draft SEIR (State Clearinghouse No. 2021100400) has been prepared to address issues of potential concern of the proposed development. This Draft SEIR was made available for public comment from April 14, 2022, and will end on May 30, 2022.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A. Background Information:
• The proposed Draft SEIR examines the comprehensive modification to the existing Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan. The existing Specific Plan was adopted by the City Council in March 27 2007, to create a unique master planned development that captured the City’s vision for the “Regional Mixed Use” zoning classification in northern Fontana, and the City’s vision for a Corporate Corridor along I-15. Ten distinct development areas, designated as “Planning Areas,” were established to implement the goals and objectives of the Specific Plan. The ten Planning Areas consisted of four types of land use designations including Commercial, Mixed Use, Medium Density Residential, and Medium-High Density Residential.
• The applicant received approval for a previous Specific Plan Amendment (SPA No. 21-004) and Design Review (DR No. 21-02) by the City Council on September 14, 2021, to change the development standards for Planning Area 6 to accommodate the proposed construction of a 257 unit attached multi-family residential project with various amenities including a clubhouse with a pool, walking paths, and courtyards.
B. Specific Plan Site Area: Approximately 102 acres
C. Proposed Planning Areas:
Planning Area No. 1 (Medium Density Residential): Approximately 20.7 acres
Planning Area No. 2 (Commercial): Approximately 9.7 acres
Planning Area No. 3 (High Density Residential): Approximately 13.2 acres
Planning Area No. 4 (Mixed Used): Approximately 25 acres
Planning Area No. 5a (Commercial): Approximately 2.4 acres
Planning Area No. 5b (Commercial): Approximately 4.8 acres
Planning Area No. 6a (Mixed Use): Approximately 5.7 acres
Planning Area No. 6b (Commercial): Approximately 2.5 acres
ANALYSIS:
The purpose of this hearing is to allow the Planning Commission and the public an opportunity to comment on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the proposed project. This is not for the final approval of the project or the recommendation of approval. A recommendation on the project and Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report will be considered at a public hearing before the Planning Commission at a later date; a public hearing by the City Council, which has final approval authority for projects with General Plan and/or Specific Plan Amendments, will also be required.
As previously mentioned, the Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan is a 102-acre master planned, mixed-use community that creates a unique sense of place in North Fontana. The design reflects a Mediterranean theme and focuses on a mixed-use and Tuscan village environment. The design will be visually distinctive and will create a unique “window” into Fontana from the Interstate 15 Freeway.
Specific Plan Amendment No. 21-001
The current specific plan has ten distinct development areas, designated as “Planning Areas,” to establish and implement the goals and objectives of the Specific Plan. As mentioned, the ten Planning Areas consisted of four types of land use designations including Commercial, Mixed Use, Medium Density Residential, and Medium-High Density Residential. The existing Specific Plan included the development of up to 574,500 square feet of commercial uses; up to 842 dwelling units in three separate residential villages; a Corporate Office Corridor, including mid-rise office buildings, a multi-story hotel, and quality business restaurants; a focal point “Piazza;” a “campanile” tower feature; pedestrian corridors and bridges; and the construction of the realigned Lytle Creek Road on a 102-acre project site.
The proposed specific plan amendment will modify and update the overall specific plan by establishing new Planning Areas that will have unique land uses, development standards, design guidelines, and create a special place for people to live, work, play, shop, and visit. Based on the amendment, the new specific plan will provide the opportunity to have a “one stop shop” for travelers along Interstate 15 freeway. The proposed project will include the development of up to 476,500 square feet of commercial uses, 1,671 dwelling units in three (3) separate residential villages, a focal point piazza (public square), and the construction of the realigned Lytle Creek Road. The proposed specific plan amendment will renumber the existing planning areas and establish six (6) new Planning Areas (labeled as PA1, PA2, PA3, PA4, PA5, and PA6) with four different zoning classifications. The zoning designation will be Medium Density Residential, High Density Residential, Mixed-Use, and Commercial. Planning Area No. 1 is the “Residential Village” (max density of 26 du/ac) which will allow for the development of attached condominiums, townhomes, and multi-family development with varies recreational amenities that residents will enjoy. Planning Areas No. 2, 5a, 5b and 6a have a “Commercial” designation that allows for a variety of uses that include corporate offices, hotels, sit-down restaurants, research and development uses, retail, and athletic facilities. Planning Area 3 is the “High Density Residential” (max density of 30 du/ac) which envisions high density attached products such as multi-family attached, townhomes or flats that range from two to four stories. These housing types will appeal to singles, young couples, families, and seniors. These zoning district will allow a variety of uses that further complement the vision of the specific plan and the City’s vision for Regional Mixed Development in the north Fontana area.
To summarize, the most significant difference between the existing Specific Plan and the proposed project is the overall increase from a maximum of 842 residential units under the existing Specific Plan to 1,671 units for the proposed project. Additionally, the total commercial area would be reduced by 98,000 square feet (17 percent), from 574,500 square feet under the existing Specific Plan, to 476,500 square feet for the proposed project.
The proposed project will have many of the same features as envisioned under the existing Specific Plan, including residential villages, commercial uses, a focal point piazza, a campanile tower feature, and the construction of Lytle Creek Road through the project site.
General Plan Amendment No. 21-006
The current general plan land use designation of Medium-Family Residential (R-MF) and General Commercial (C-G) is consistent with existing Specific Plan. However, the applicant has applied for a General Plan Amendment to amend portions of the general plan land use designation of the project site from General Commercial (C-G) to Medium-Family Residential (R-MF) to be consistent with the new Planning Areas of the proposed specific plan amendment.
Technical Studies
Subsequent to the preparation and distribution of the Notice of Preparation (NOP), the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) was prepared for the project. The environmental analysis contained in the Draft SEIR is based in part on specific studies and assessments undertaken for the City by qualified environmental scientists, specialists, and consultants. These studies address air quality/greenhouse gas emissions/human health risk impacts, biological resource impacts, cultural resource impacts, geology and soils, greenhouse gases, hazards and hazardous materials, noise impacts, and transportation/traffic impacts. These technical studies are contained in the Technical Appendices documents (on the flash drive) of the Draft SEIR and are made available for the public review at the following link: Environmental Documents | Fontana, CA - Official Website <https://www.fontana.org/2137/Environmental-Documents>
Draft SEIR
The Draft SEIR describes the environmental impacts of the project and the mitigation measures to help minimize the project impacts on the environment. The scope of this Draft SEIR includes environmental issues identified by the City during the preparation of the Initial Study/Notice of Preparation (IS/NOP), as well as issues raised by outside agencies, organizations, and individuals in response to the IS/NOP.
The Draft SEIR determined that 15 categories of environmental effects would have potential impacts found not to be significant. These categories are Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Geology and Soils, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Population and Housing, Public Services, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities and Service Systems, and Wildfire. The potential impacts from the aforementioned topical areas are fully addressed in the Draft SEIR and can be brought to a level of less than significant with mitigation with the exception of air quality emissions associated with operation of the project. With respect to Air Quality, the analysis in the Draft SEIR determined that mobile source (i.e., vehicle) emissions from project operation at full buildout would exceed applicable regional thresholds.
According to the analysis in the Draft SEIR and supporting studies, impacts related to air quality from project operation would remain significant and unavoidable in both the opening year and cumulative scenarios even with incorporation of proposed mitigation measures. Because there are significant and unavoidable impacts as a result of the proposed project, a Statement of Overriding Considerations (SOC) is required.
Alternatives
As required by CEQA, a Draft SEIR shall describe a range of reasonable alternatives to the project which meets the basic objectives of the project but would avoid or substantially lessen any of the significant effects of the project and evaluate the comparative merits of the alternatives. The proposed alternatives for this project include “No Project/Existing Specific Plan” and “Reduce Density.”
Draft SEIR Circulation
The project Draft SEIR was circulated for the 45-day public review period on April 14, 2022, and the review period will close on May 30, 2022. Comments on the Draft SEIR received at this Planning Commission hearing, along with other comments received during the public review period, will be addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).
MOTION:
Approve staff’s recommendation.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Vicinity Map
2. Site Plan
3. Existing General Plan Land Use Designation
4. Proposed General Plan Land Use Designation
5. Existing Specific Plan - Ventana at Duncan Canyon
6. Propose Specific Plan - Ventana at Duncan Canyon
7. Specific Plan Document
8. Planning Commission Resolution PC 2022 - ____
9. Public Hearing Notice
UNDER SEPARATE COVER:
1. Hard Copy DSEIR and Flash Drive with NOA and Appendices
2. Draft Ventana at Duncan Canyon Specific Plan