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APPENDIX A: SPECIAL STUDY AREAS REPORT

D E S I G N , C O M M U N I T Y & E N V I R O N M E N TD E S I G N , C O M M U N I T Y & E N V I R O N M E N T

S p e c i a l St u dy a r e a S r e p o rt

Final Draft

City of Chino July, 2010

D E S I G N , C O M M U N I T Y & E N V I R O N M E N T

1625 SHATTUCK AVENUE, SUITE 300

BERKELEY, CAL IFORNIA 94709

TEL : 510 848 3815

FAX: 510 848 4315

S p e c i a l St u dy a r e a S r e p o rt

Submitted to

Final Draft

City of Chino July, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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A. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................1

B. SPECIAL STUDY AREA A: WALNUT AND CENTRAL AVENUES GATEWAY AREA ...............................................................................................7

C. SPECIAL STUDY AREA B: EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE CORRIDOR ...............20

D. SPECIAL STUDY AREA C: CHINO AVENUE INDUSTRIAL AREA.................................................................................................................................................31

E. DESIGN GUIDANCE ..............................................................................................................43

C I T Y O F C H I N O

S P E C I A L S T U D Y A R E A R E P O R T

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Figures

Figure 1 Map of the Three Special Study Areas............................................. 2 Figure 2 Location of Special Study Area A.................................................... 8 Figure 3 Study Area A: Existing Land Use................................................... 9 Figure 4 Study Area A: Current General Plan Land Use Designations ...... 10 Figure 5 Special Study Area A: Preferred Concept General Plan

Land Use Designations .................................................................. 13 Figure 6 Special Study Area A: Preferred Concept Illustrative

Diagram ......................................................................................... 13 Figure 7 Central Avenue Six-Lane Arterial with Median............................ 14 Figure 8 View Looking North on Central at Walnut ................................. 14 Figure 9 Location of Special Study Area B .................................................. 21 Figure 10 Study Area B: Existing Land Use .................................................. 21 Figure 11 Study Area B: Current General Plan Land Use Designations...... 22 Figure 12 Special Study Area B: Preferred Concept General Plan Land

Use Designations ........................................................................... 24 Figure 13 Special Study Area B: Preferred Concept Illustrative

Diagram ......................................................................................... 24 Figure 14 Riverside Drive Six-Lane Boulevard .............................................. 25 Figure 15 View Looking West on Riverside at Magnolia.............................. 25 Figure 16 View Looking Northwest on Riverside at Oaks........................... 26 Figure 17 Location of Special Study Area C.................................................. 32 Figure 18 Study Area C: Existing Land Use................................................. 32 Figure 19 Study Area C: Current General Plan Land Use

Designations................................................................................... 33 Figure 20 Special Study Area C: Preferred Concept General Plan

Land Use Designations .................................................................. 35 Figure 21 Special Study Area C: Preferred Concept Illustrative

Diagram ......................................................................................... 35 Figure 22 Chino Avenue Four-Lane Arterial with Parking .......................... 36 Figure 23 Looking at Central and Chino Mixed-Use .................................... 37 Figure 24 Townhomes on G Street ............................................................... 37 Figure 25 Live-Work Lofts on G Street......................................................... 38

SPECIAL STUDY AREA REPORT

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A. Introduction 1. Background

The City of Chino began the update of its General Plan in January of 2006 and expects to complete the update by the middle of 2008. The General Plan sets the policy direction for the City for the next 20 years and will be the ba-sis on which the City will make many day-to-day decisions. The General Plan addresses a wide range of topics that are important to the community, including: housing, parks and recreation facilities, police and fire protection, traffic congestion, preservation of Chino’s small town character, and im-proved opportunities for physical activity and public health. As part of the General Plan update, the City has studied three areas in the City at a finer level of detail. These Special Study Areas (SSAs) were selected because they have characteristics that are representative of areas found throughout the City; reflect local economic trends and land use issues; have potential development sites; and have opportunities for improved land uses related to public health. The results of the analysis of the SSAs provide im-portant policy and design guidance for the SSAs themselves. They also help inform decisions to be made for the General Plan and applied throughout the City by demonstrating how transportation, land use and design concepts could be applied in Chino. As shown in Figure 1, the three SSAs are as follows:

♦ Special Study Area A (SSA A): Walnut and Central Avenues Gateway Area

♦ Special Study Area B (SSA B): East Riverside Drive Corridor

♦ Special Study Area C (SSA C): Chino Avenue Industrial Area

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L O C A T I O N S O F S P E C I A L S T U D Y A R E A S

C I T Y O F C H I N OE N V I S I O N C H I N O 2 0 2 5

Sphere of Influence

Special Study Area

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2. Process

To begin the analysis, the consultant team developed an initial list of potential SSAs, based on stakeholder interviews, responses at the five public workshops that took place in the spring of 2006, and discussions with City staff and elected officials. There were common themes among all of these sources. The consultant team used the criteria outlined below to recommend three areas for more intensive study. 3. Criteria for Selection

The following criteria were used to select the three SSA:

1. Replicable. SSAs should not be so unique that there are no other places like them in the city, since analysis of the SSAs will be expanded to the wider City, and form one of the bases for the City-wide alternatives of the General Plan update.

2. Reflect local economic trends. The Existing Conditions report identified a series of local economic trends that affect Chino. The selected SSA should reflect those trends, including: locations where industry is about to change, based on economic analysis; and vacant or under-utilized sites or storefronts.

3. Reflect local land use issues. The Existing Conditions report also identified a series of land use issues in Chino. An SSA should reflect some of those issues, ensuring that the results are applicable in other portions of the city. SSAs should also represent common land uses in the City.

4. Potential for design change. In addition to land use changes and economic development, SSAs should have the potential for visual changes that could unify or enliven the areas. This could include the potential for streetscape improvements, façade improvements, connecting cul-de-sacs to arterials or other design changes.

5. Potential for public health improvement. SSA alternatives should have the potential to suggest changes in the built environment which improve public health indicators, such as increasing physical activity and reducing obesity.



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6. Under direct jurisdiction of the City of Chino. The SSA should be in places where the City can create specific policies and actions for improvement or change. The California Institution for Men and areas in the Sphere of Influence, but outside the city limits, were therefore eliminated.

Once City staff decided upon the three areas to be studied, the consultant team conducted extensive analysis of each area and prepared three alternative land use changes for each. The alternatives for each SSA were evaluated on the basis of their impacts on transportation, the City’s fiscal and economic health, public health and types of land use changes. The results of this analy-sis are presented in three workbooks, one for each SSA, which are available upon request from the City. Their intent was to illustrate this information and provide a basis for the public to provide input on the areas. This input was used by the Planning Commission and City Council to recommend the preferred concepts presented in this report. 4. Meeting Results

Several public meetings and hearings were held to discuss the alternatives proposed for the three SSAs and to devise a final preferred concept. For the three property owners meetings, notices were sent to every property owner within each study area. In addition, a newspaper ad publicized all three of the property owner meetings as well as the Planning Commission and City Council meetings that followed. a. Special Study Area A Property Owners Meeting A small group of residents and two business/property owners attended the meeting for SSA A. They were willing to support the type of development show in the preferred alternative in the workbook as long as the housing component was of a high quality. They also expressed support for the expan-sion of the hospital. b. Special Study Area B Property Owners Meeting The meeting for SSA B was well attended. Residents expressed a desire to maintain the character of the Ross, Magnolia and Oaks Avenue neighbor-hood, decreasing the General Plan density from 4.5 to 2 units per acre for



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consistency with existing zoning and development patterns. Street trees and traffic calming measures were welcomed, while a bike and pedestrian path with a small park was not. Opinions were split on the issue of mixed-use along Riverside Drive. While it was acknowledged that development is necessary, there were concerns about taller buildings adjacent to single-family residential neighborhoods. Despite this, it was generally accepted that intensification and a mix of housing types would be appropriate on Riverside Drive. c. Special Study Area C Property Owners Meeting SSA C’s meeting was also well-attended by residents, business owners and property owners. They were in support of live/work and higher-density residential west of Central Avenue as well as industrial uses east of Central. They were in favor of removing the rail line and liked the idea of a transit center but did not believe it would be feasible. d. Steering Committee The Steering Committee was generally in agreement with the residents and the property owners. For Study Area A, they supported the hospital expan-sion but also suggested an alternative plan in case the hospital was to move. They supported mixed-use development in the shopping centers. For Study Area B, they were in favor of maintaining the large lots on Ross, Magnolia and Oaks Avenues. They also agreed that intensification of the East Riverside Drive Corridor would be necessary and recommended that the boulevard street section be adopted for Riverside Drive. For Study Area C, the Committee was in favor of intensifying residential uses in order to increase population which would then support more business and cultural activity. They were split on the idea of industrial east of Central.



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e. Planning Commission The Planning Commission generally agreed with the recommendations for-warded from the neighborhood and Steering Committee meetings. The Commission recognized that improvements could arise from developing higher density residential and mixed-use, although concerns were raised about the potential for traffic and parking problems. The Commission directed Staff to consult with property owners that would be affected by the proposed changes, particularly in SSA C. f. City Council The City Council supported the recommendations of the Planning Commis-sion, with the following concerns: parking, traffic that would be generated, the need for drought-tolerant landscaping, air pollution effects on residents, and noise effects on residents. The City Council also had concerns about the feasibility of widening Riverside Drive, as well as the ability to consolidate smaller lots with existing uses into larger projects that are economically feasi-ble. This includes the feasibility of developing the lots that front on Riverside Drive after street dedication. 5. Public Health

The overall theme for the Chino General Plan is public health, which has a strong relationship to the built environment. Many issues addressed by a General Plan have a direct impact on local and regional health issues. Land uses can promote public health by providing opportunities for people to walk and bicycle to meet their daily needs; this makes it easier to exercise on a daily basis and can contribute to air quality improvements by reducing travel in cars. The air quality improvements that can result from providing more housing close to shopping and jobs benefit the Inland Empire as a region, including Chino’s residents. At a local level, concerns have been raised about the health effects of living close to high-traffic roadways. Possible health impacts in-clude reduced lung function in children, asthma, and increased hospital visits. The only roadway in Chino that meets the South Coast Air Quality Man-agement District’s (SCAQMD) definition of a high-traffic roadway is High-



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way 60. SCAQMD recommends that no housing be built within 500 feet of such a roadway, although they also recognize the regional benefits of provid-ing housing near major roadways in terms of reducing traffic congestion. This distance corresponds to approximately half a block on a standard Chino block, so it would result in a recommendation of no additional housing within a half-block of Highway 60 including a portion of SSA A. Other roadways do experience significant volumes of traffic, but no specific sugges-tion for setbacks has been raised. While some additional setbacks could be provided, a 500-foot setback would result in parcels that could not be built upon. This would not assist the City in either meeting its goals of providing a variety of housing types, nor of contributing to public health improvements by placing housing, jobs and services close to one another. There are mitigation measures that can reduce the potential health effects of living near a roadway. New housing units can provide state-of-the-art air fil-tration systems to remove pollutants from the air. Finally, SCAQMD has a recommended list of trees that are known to help reduce air pollution. When planted between homes and roadways they capture pollutants before they reach the residents. 6. Report Organization

This report describes the preferred concepts for each of the three SSAs, as well as the policies and design guidelines necessary for the City to make them happen. It also addresses concerns raised during the public review process from neighborhood meetings through the City Council.

B. Special Study Area A: Walnut and Central Avenues Gate-way Area

Setting information, a description of the preferred concept, analysis of the preferred concept, and goals, policies and actions to implement the preferred concept are presented in this section.



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1. Existing Setting

SSA A, the Walnut and Central Avenues Gateway Area is located at the northern gateway to the City of Chino, south of Highway 60, north of Jeffer-son Avenue and on both the east and west sides of Central Avenue. Its loca-tion is shown in the aerial photograph in Figure 2. FIGURE 2 LOCATION OF SPECIAL STUDY AREA A

SSA A consists primarily of commercial retail uses, as shown in Figure 3. The current General Plan designations for the study area are shown in Figure 4, which similarly calls for primarily commercial uses. The commercial retail uses include a mix of national retailers, such as Walgreens, Big Lots, and Star-bucks as well as smaller, local businesses. Of these stores, those that serve the neighborhood and local area are in the strongest position, while those serving a larger area, such as the city or region, are declining. The retail uses are joined by some small service uses, such as insurance, real estate, and medical offices. Both the small service uses and the existing retail operations are likely to stay, but larger retail and office establishments are unlikely to expand into this area due to competition from the Spectrum shopping center, and other locations closer to Highways 71 and 10. The retail and office space in the



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study area is primarily of a large built form with parking lots in front and limited access for pedestrians. FIGURE 3 STUDY AREA A: EXISTING LAND USE



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FIGURE 4 STUDY AREA A: CURRENT GENERAL PLAN LAND USE

DESIGNATIONS

Currently there are two notable institutions located in SSA A: the Chino Valley Hospital and the Chino Post Office. Some of the small office uses mentioned above are medical offices associated with the hospital. The hospi-tal is currently considering whether to remain in this location, as it will need to expand and modernize over the coming years to serve a growing Inland Empire population. There is currently one 28-unit apartment complex in the study area and five single-family homes, although there are more single- and multi-family uses in surrounding areas. Local real estate professionals asked about the area were unanimous that there is strong potential for new, attached housing for first-time homebuyers, single professionals, and newly married couples. Demand for this type of housing in Chino is currently high, as seen by the brisk sales of townhomes and condominiums in The Preserve. Demand is expected to grow in Chino over the next ten years, particularly in areas such as SSA A with good access to highways and a central location. Reinvestment in the area’s older, declining retail and its transition to more neighborhood-serving tenants could further increase the viability of new housing development.



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Traffic in SSA A is heaviest in the evening peak hours, including approxi-mately 5,500 trips of the 41,000 during a typical day. Nearly all of the trips are generated by the non-residential land uses in the study area. While most of the study area has traffic levels of service that are acceptable (grade D or better), the current level of service on the stretch of Central Avenue north of Walnut Avenue has an unacceptable level of service (LOS) (grade E). Central Avenue as it passes through the study area is currently six lanes wide, and the high traffic volumes it carries, combined with the auto-orientation of the commercial establishments, make the area unfriendly to pedestrians. Level of service is described in greater detail in the box to the right. Directly adjacent to SSA A, to the east and north of the study area, are three large parcels currently planned for development or redevelopment. Proposed development includes medical office buildings across from the Chino Valley Hospital, with senior housing to the north of the offices on a parcel currently used for agriculture. A police station and park are proposed where the Home Depot is currently located to the north of Walnut Avenue. Finally, town-homes are proposed to the north of the Walnut Avenue Elementary School, on a parcel currently used for agriculture. 2. Approach

The three alternatives for SSA A were intended to explore futures for the area that varied according to the amount of mixed use, new residential develop-ment and the future of the Medical Center. The preferred concept combines aspects of all three alternatives, focusing on mixed-use development at the intersection of Central and Walnut and expansion of the hospital over time. 3. Land Use and Design Concept

Land uses for the preferred concept are shown in Figure 5, and the illustrative diagram is shown in Figure 6. Under this concept, the area will be trans-formed into a mixed-use node with the Chino Valley Medical Center ex-panded on sites to the east of its current location. The areas west of Central Avenue will see mixed-use residential development with some ground-floor retail along Central and Walnut Avenues. The retail uses will consist of lo-cally-oriented restaurants, a supermarket and other neighborhood-serving

LEVEL OF SERVICE

Roadway level of service (LOS) is a measure of roadway congestion ranging from LOS A (least congested) to LOS F (most con-gested). Level of service is one of the most common terms used to describe how "good" or how "bad" traffic is projected to be. Level of service serves as a benchmark to determine whether proposed new develop-ment will comply with an existing level of service or if it will exceed the preferred or adopted level of service. The existing level-of-service analysis in this workbook are for mid-block roadway segments in and around the Special Study Areas and based traffic count data from existing traffic stud-ies conducted for the City. Level of service is calculated by dividing roadway traffic volumes by the roadway capacity (as de-scribed in the current Circulation Element of the General Plan). The City considers LOS D as the lowest acceptable level of service. Segments in or near the SSAs that operate at LOS E in-clude:

♦ Central Avenue between Chino Ave-nue and Riverside Drive, and from Walnut Avenue to Philadelphia Street

♦ Walnut Avenue between Benson Ave-nue and Mountain Avenue

♦ Benson Avenue between Walnut Ave-nue and State Route 60.



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uses such as coffee shops and dry cleaners that will be within a short walk, bicycle ride or drive from the surrounding residences. Central Avenue will most likely remain in its existing configuration as a six-lane arterial, although this will continue to be studied as the City-wide alter-natives are evaluated with a full traffic model. The median will be planted with trees, as shown in Figure 7. There will be new cross streets as part of the mixed-use areas around the intersection of Central and Walnut Avenues. There will also be a highly connective pedestrian network throughout the area to encourage auto-free movement within the neighborhood.



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FIGURE 5 SPECIAL STUDY AREA A: PREFERRED CONCEPT GEN-

ERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

FIGURE 6 SPECIAL STUDY AREA A: PREFERRED CONCEPT ILLUSTRATIVE DIAGRAM



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FIGURE 7 CENTRAL AVENUE SIX-LANE ARTERIAL WITH MEDIAN

Figure 8 provides a perspective sketch of the view looking north on Central Avenue at Walnut Avenue, showing what the intersection might look like with the proposed mixed-use buildings with ground-floor retail and residen-tial above. FIGURE 8 VIEW LOOKING NORTH ON CENTRAL AT WALNUT



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4. Transportation

The traffic analysis of the SSA alternatives examined the impact of changes in land use on the number of vehicle trips generated, and effects on local road-ways. The analysis evaluated the potential change in traffic volumes on key roadway segments and whether the change could cause a roadway segment to have a poor level of service and experience congestion, relative to City stan-dards. Typically, levels of service are based on an analysis of traffic impacts on a peak hour (e.g. AM and PM commute peaks or weekend peak) and daily basis. The analysis considered existing conditions plus SSA land use changes, and did not include potential traffic increases in the future due to other local de-velopment projects or regional growth. As noted in Section 1, Existing Setting, Central Avenue in the vicinity of SSA A already operates at LOS E, exceeding the City’s level of service standard. The trips generated by the SSA A land uses would mainly access Central and Walnut Avenues. With an overall decrease in the number of vehicle trips generated, compared to the current land uses, the preferred concept may re-sult in an improvement to the levels of service near the SSA, and may not require additional roadway capacity. This improved level of service would benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users in the study area. As shown in Figure 8, the mixed-use development along Central and Walnut Avenues provides a more pedestrian-friendly envi-ronment. The new streets that serve the proposed mixed-use and town home development increase connections through the area, decreasing block size and block length and increasing the likelihood that people might choose to walk or bike rather than drive to nearby shopping and other destinations. More-over, the large increase in residential uses could create potential for improve-ments to transit service in the area.



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5. Market and Fiscal Overview

The market and fiscal overview looks at the impacts of land use changes on tax revenues and property values over time in the area. The box on the left provides detail on the General Fund, the Redevelopment Agency and the Chino Valley Independent Fire District. The proposed reduction in retail uses will result in minimal changes to overall sales tax revenues in the City. Existing retail on Central and Walnut Avenues serves the community rather than the regional market. If local retail becomes housing or mixed-use, local and city residents, for the most part, will direct their purchases elsewhere in Chino. Furthermore, few outside residents currently make purchases in these retail establishments, so there is little potential for lost revenue from outside residents. Accordingly, a net loss in local retail space – regardless of the ex-tent – will not necessarily lead to lower sales tax revenues for the City. The preferred concept is likely to increase service costs because it projects an increase in residential units. However, it also generates revenue for the City General Fund, the Redevelopment Area and the Fire District. Additional analysis is needed to determine the extent to which these two impacts coun-teract one another, especially since service costs are not expected to increase as rapidly as the population in the preferred concept. Over time, it is significant that much of the revenue advantage comes from additional property taxes. One key attribute of property taxes is they have grown more steadily, and shown less volatility, than sales tax revenues – both in Chino and California as a whole. This is due to greater competition be-tween cities and fluctuations in the retail market than in the housing market. The preferred concept has two additional advantages that are difficult to quantify, but important to emphasize. First, the overall housing density will support the transformation of the Central Avenue commercial area into one that is more sustainable over time. Such a transformation would boost the property values of nearby, existing housing. Without this influx of residents into the trade area for Central Avenue retail and services, Central Avenue could very well decline and drag home values of nearby residential neighbor-hoods downward. Secondly, new residents have an indirect but important

OVERVIEW OF THE CITY’S PRIMARY FUND-

ING SOURCES FOR CITY SERVICES AND

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTs

City of Chino General Fund. The City manages numerous funds that are used to pay for ongoing and one-time expenses. The Gen-eral Fund is the largest of the City’s funds, and the only one that is not restricted or lim-ited to a particular set of uses. The General Fund supports the ongoing operational costs of fundamental city services, including: Po-lice; Public Works (maintenance of streets, lighting and parks); Community Develop-ment (planning and development); Commu-nity Services (youth sports, recreation facili-ties, and senior programming); and Gov-ernment Administration. Sales and property taxes are the primary revenue sources for the General Fund, excluding “Charges for Ser-vices” – i.e. service fees collected by City de-partments for services such as development review and permit processing. As a result, the General Fund is sensitive to land use changes that result in changes to sales and property tax revenues. The Chino Valley Independent Fire Dis-trict provides fire suppression and emergency medical services to Chino and Chino Hills. It is primarily funded by property tax reve-nues, through collection of a percentage of the one percent property tax assessed on properties outside Redevelopment Areas in Chino and Chino Hills. An additional 24 percent of revenue is transferred from the City of Chino General Fund to compensate for property tax revenues retained by City Redevelopment Areas. The Chino Redevelopment Agency retains a large share of property tax revenue in Re-development Areas to finance infrastructure and other community improvements that eliminate blight, develop affordable housing and improve economic vitality in those areas. Special Study Area A and portions of Areas B and C fall within Redevelopment Areas.



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impact on retail sales elsewhere in Chino, generating additional sales tax reve-nues for the City. 6. Public Health Implications

The public health analysis evaluated the land use and transportation changes. The analysis looked at how three dependent variables related to body weight: Percent Obese, Percent Taking a Walk Trip, and Minutes of Moderate Physi-cal Activity. These dependent variables were affected by three land use meas-ures, which were calculated as independent variables. The three land use measures included: mix of land uses, net residential density, and street inter-section density. Increases in all three land use measures are associated with decreases in percent obese and increases in walking and moderate physical activity in the published research upon which this analysis was based. In SSA A, the combination of the mixed-use, increased residential uses and greater street connectivity enhance the likelihood that residents and workers in the study area would walk to nearby shopping and other services. While SSA A’s proposed land uses have positive public health outcomes, sites will need to be carefully designed to ensure that the air quality and noise im-pacts associated with living near a high-traffic area are mitigated. Section E, which provides design guidance for all land uses within the three study areas, includes guidance for reducing these impacts. In addition, with respect to air quality impacts, mitigation over the long-term includes improved use of clean vehicle technology, especially for the diesel trucks that cause the greatest amount of particulate pollution. This is particularly important in SSA A due to its proximity to Highway 60. 7. Goals, Policies and Actions

The following Goals, Policies, and Actions are proposed for the implementa-tion of the preferred concept for SSA A. They will be incorporated into the General Plan and applied to this specific area. However, refinements may be needed to ensure they are consistent with the full General Plan document.



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Goal A-1: Enhance the commercial areas at the intersection of Walnut and Central Avenues and incorporate housing onto those parcels.

Policies Policy A-1.1 Properties at the intersection of Walnut and Central shall

include a combination of housing, retail, and office uses, with a focus on development of multi-family housing.

Policy A-1.2 Retail uses should focus on providing services for neighbor-

hood residents. Policy A-1.3 New residential uses, whether single- or mixed-use shall use

state of the art design, technologies and siting techniques to mitigate the effects of living near a high-traffic road on resi-dents of the new housing units.

Policy A-1.4 New residential uses shall feature high-quality building design

and attractive landscaping. Actions Action A-1.1 Work with property owners on the four corners of this inter-

section to ensure that they are aware of the new land uses permitted and how they could benefit from them.

Action A-1.2 Provide expedited review of projects on the four corners of

this intersection that meet both the land use regulations and the design guidance provided for these properties and for mixed-use properties in general.

Action A-1.3 Work with property owners to market to neighborhood

residents and build up their local customer base.



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Goal A-2: Create a more pedestrian-friendly environment in this gateway area.

Policies Policy A-2.1 Development of parcels in this area should consider pedes-

trian needs by focusing entrances toward the street rather than toward parking areas.

Policy A-2.2 New development shall provide greater street connectivity,

including connections through the parcels on the northwest and southwest corners of the intersection of Walnut and Central Avenues.

Goal A-3: Support the retention and expansion of the Chino Valley Hospital on its current site.

Actions Action A-3.1 Work with Chino Valley Hospital leadership and the

neighboring Immanuel Lutheran Church to find a way for the hospital to remain in place and expand as needed to serve the growing population. This could include assisting the church in finding an alternate space or finding an economi-cally feasible way for the hospital to grow within its current footprint.

Action A-3.2 Encourage the consolidation of residential parcels adjacent to

the Chino Valley Hospital on Walnut Avenue for use by the hospital.

Action A-3.2 Do not permit expansion of existing non-conforming uses of

residential parcels adjacent to the Chino Valley Hospital.



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C. Special Study Area B: East Riverside Drive Corridor Setting information, a description of the preferred concept, analysis of the preferred concept, and goals, policies and actions to implement the preferred concept are presented in this section. 1. Existing Setting

SSA B, the East Riverside Drive Corridor, is located along both sides of Riv-erside Drive between 9th Street and Mountain Avenue. The residential area extends northward to Walnut Avenue between Oaks and Magnolia Avenues. Its location is shown in the aerial photograph in Figure 9. SSA B consists primarily of commercial and multi-family residential uses along Riverside Drive and single-family deep-lot residential area to the north of Riverside Drive. The deep-lot residential area has received this term be-cause the original subdivision of the large agricultural parcels was very low-density (two dwelling units per acre) but configured to allow an additional subdivision to take place to split the parcels across their width and establish new streets down the center of each block. The homes that exist are primar-ily single-story single-family homes that are well-established and in good con-dition. The conversion to 4.5 dwelling units per acre has not taken place in the 25 years since the last General Plan was produced. Current land uses in SSA B are shown in Figure 10. The current General Plan designations for the study area are shown in Figure 11; these allow more multi-family housing along Riverside Drive than is currently found there. Consultation with local real-estate professionals suggested that the greatest potential for new homes was live-work units along Riverside Drive, although additional multi-family housing could experience strong demand if the devel-opment is of high quality. Barriers to the development of either type of hous-ing were the heavy traffic on Riverside Drive and the limited shopping op-portunities in the area. These views were bolstered by the finding that SSA B had the lowest single-family home sale prices per square foot of any of the three study areas, at $225 per square foot in comparison to $231 in SSA A and



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$297 in SSA C. There is land available within SSA B, including a few large, vacant parcels. FIGURE 9 LOCATION OF SPECIAL STUDY AREA B

FIGURE 10 STUDY AREA B: EXISTING LAND USE



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FIGURE 11 STUDY AREA B: CURRENT GENERAL PLAN LAND USE

DESIGNATIONS

The existing shopping and office along Riverside Drive are primarily small businesses serving a local clientele. There are limited opportunities for addi-tional retail due to the small lot sizes, which would need to be consolidated to permit larger retail establishments. However, at key intersections, such as Riverside and Central Avenues, as well as Riverside and Mountain Avenues, there is greater potential for additional neighborhood- or community-serving businesses. Currently, Riverside Drive is a four-lane roadway, and is slated to expand to six lanes in the Circulation Element of the existing General Plan. The por-tion of Riverside Drive in the study area is quite wide and experiences high traffic speeds, but acceptable traffic levels of service of D or higher. Just un-der a third of the traffic that flows through the study area during a typical day is associated with homes in the study area, while the remaining traffic is gen-erated by the non-residential land uses. Far more than a third of the area is



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occupied by residential uses, but as they are single-family homes they do not result in the same amount of traffic as the office and commercial uses found on Riverside Drive. Level of service is described in greater detail in the box on page 11. 2. Approach

The three alternatives for SSA B explored futures for the area that focus on change along Riverside Drive, where there could be varying emphases on commercial, residential and mixed-uses. They also explored improvements to the deep-lot residential area and considered whether it should continue to be designated for low-density or additional housing more in keeping with neighboring blocks should be permitted. The preferred concept is a combina-tion of elements from the mixed-use and residential alternatives. 3. Land Use and Design Concept

The preferred concept assumes that Riverside Drive will be a boulevard con-sisting of two lanes of through-traffic in either direction, flanked by an access lane for slower-moving local traffic. This roadway configuration will be stud-ied further as the City-wide alternatives are evaluated with a full traffic model. The boulevard concept will require additional dedications from prop-erty owners along Riverside Drive. Some dedications have been made, but consistent widenings may be difficult due to the large number of small parcels that are not very deep. The proposed General Plan land use designations are shown in Figure 12, and the illustrative diagram is shown in Figure 13. A cross-section of Riverside Drive as a six-lane boulevard is shown in Figure 14. Figure 15 is a sketch of the view looking west on Riverside Drive at Magno-lia, illustrating how the boulevard and surrounding development could look; Figure 16 shows three-story mixed-use development on Riverside Drive look-ing northwest at Oaks Avenue. The proposed General Plan land use designa-tions for the north section of Riverside Drive between Benson and Magnolia Avenues will replace general commercial with mixed use. Between Magnolia and Mountain on Riverside, development will include small-lot residential in order to create a transition between new higher density development and existing residential.



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FIGURE 12 SPECIAL STUDY AREA B: PREFERRED CONCEPT GENERAL

PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

FIGURE 13 SPECIAL STUDY AREA B: PREFERRED CONCEPT ILLUSTRATIVE DIAGRAM



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FIGURE 14 RIVERSIDE DRIVE SIX-LANE BOULEVARD

FIGURE 15 VIEW LOOKING WEST ON RIVERSIDE AT MAGNOLIA



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FIGURE 16 VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST ON RIVERSIDE AT OAKS

The General Plan land use designations for the parcels in the deep-lot residen-tial area will be changed to very low density residential (RD 2). Additional design guidelines will be developed to ensure that development of accessory units do not negatively impact the visual quality of the area. Design guide-lines will include direction regarding site layout, parking placement, windows and privacy concerns, among other issues. The preferred concept introduces new connections to decrease block length and improve pedestrian connections from residential areas with three north-south connections on 16th, 17th and 18th Streets to Riverside Drive between Oaks and Benson Avenues. The streetscape character of Tronkeel Avenue will be improved by the planting of street trees and the development of well- designed mixed-use buildings on the blocks between Benson and Oaks Ave-nues. These buildings will also open up onto the street and give it a more inviting feel.



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4. Transportation

The traffic analysis of the SSA alternatives examined the impact of changes in land use on the number of vehicle trips generated, and effects on local road-ways. The analysis evaluated the potential change in traffic volumes on key roadway segments and whether the change could cause a roadway segment to have a poor level of service and experience congestion, relative to City stan-dards. Typically, levels of service are based on an analysis of traffic impacts on a peak hour (e.g. AM and PM commute peaks or weekend peak) and daily basis. A more detailed explanation of level of service can be found in the box on page 11. The analysis considered existing conditions plus SSA land use changes, and did not include potential traffic increases in the future due to other local de-velopment projects or regional growth. The preferred concept shows a minimal increase in trips in some time peri-ods, or even a slight decrease in the number of trips. As noted in the Existing Setting section, Riverside Drive, Benson Avenue, Oaks Avenue, Magnolia Avenue and Mountain Avenue currently operate at LOS D or better in the vicinity of SSA B. The shift in trip generation should not cause a decrease in the overall level of service in SSA B. The preferred concept also introduces new connections to decrease block length and improve walkability from residential areas with north-south con-nections to Riverside Drive between Oaks and Benson Avenues (e.g. 16th, 17th and 18th Streets). Although a greater number of lanes are proposed for Riverside Drive, the longest distance a pedestrian would have to travel is ap-proximately the same or less than existing due to the presence of medians and slightly narrower travel lanes. 5. Market and Fiscal Overview

Land use changes will have an impact on revenue contributions to the City’s General Fund, the Redevelopment Agency and the Chino Valley Independent Fire District. A brief description of these is provided in the box on page 16.



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In addition, land use changes will impact the cost to the City of providing services. It is difficult to distinguish the relative fiscal advantages of the changes in-cluded in the preferred concept. The net retail gain is not expected to impact the City’s sales tax revenues overall, given the effect it will have in shifting purchasing power from one part of the City to another. The preferred con-cept will generate strong property tax revenue—both through new develop-ment and by positively impacting surrounding residential neighborhoods and will also incur additional police and fire costs. The latter are expected to be a relatively small impact on the overall General Fund budget. Additional fire services will be less costly to provide here than in other parts of the City due to the expected placement of a new fire station in the middle of the SSA. 6. Public Health Analysis

The public health analysis took into consideration the land use and transpor-tation changes that will occur. Generally, changes were small, but even small changes in these public health outcomes can have relatively large returns in relative risk of obesity-related conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, in addition to decreased healthcare costs at the population level. The analysis looked at how three dependent variables related to body weight: Percent Obese, Percent Taking a Walk Trip, and Minutes of Moderate Physi-cal Activity were affected by three land use measures, which were calculated as independent variables. The three land use measures included: mix of land uses, net residential density, and street intersection density. Increases in all three land use measures are associated with decreases in percent obese and increases in walking and moderate physical activity in the published research upon which this analysis was based. The changes related to the preferred concept are expected to have favorable impacts with regards to the analyzed public health outcomes. They propose an increase in residential uses adjacent to shopping and services, as well as additional street connections that decrease overall walking distances between these uses.



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While SSA B’s proposed land uses have positive public health outcomes, sites will need to be carefully designed to ensure that the air quality and noise im-pacts associated with living near a high-traffic area are mitigated. Section E, which provides design guidance for all land uses within the three study areas, includes guidance for reducing these impacts. In addition, with respect to air quality impacts, mitigation over the long-term includes improved use of clean vehicle technology, especially for the diesel trucks that cause the greatest amount of particulate pollution. 7. Goals, Policies and Actions

The following Goals, Policies and Actions are proposed for the implementa-tion of the preferred concept for SSA B. They will be incorporated into the General Plan and applied to this specific area. However, refinements may be needed to ensure they are consistent with the full General Plan document. Goal B-1: Develop Riverside Drive with additional housing as either mixed-use or multi-family homes so that additional residents provide shoppers for local-serving retail.

Policies Policy B-1.1 New development on Riverside Drive should be designed to

provide a more pedestrian-oriented environment, with two to three story mixed-use and residential buildings, improved street furnishing and other pedestrian amenities.

Policy B-1.2 New development on Riverside Drive that is directly adjacent

to single-family homes should be designed for consistency with those homes, by providing a buffer in the rear area of the parcels between new buildings and existing homes.

Policy B-1.3 Discourage the retail conversion of existing residential proper-

ties on the north-south numbered streets south of Riverside



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Drive to the first alley. If they convert to retail, it should be as a block and not individually.

Policy B-1.4 Development of parcels along Riverside Drive should consider

pedestrian needs by focusing entrances toward the street rather than toward parking areas.

Policy B-1.5 New residential uses, whether single- or mixed-use shall use

state of the art design, technologies and siting techniques to mitigate the effects of living near a high-traffic road on resi-dents of the new housing units.

Actions Action B-1.1 Work with landowners along Riverside Drive to consolidate

parcels so they can create large enough spaces for new devel-opment of either mixed-use or multi-family residential build-ings. On some portions of Riverside Drive where the parcels are very shallow due to dedications for the street right-of-way, this will need to include consolidation with parcels that do not currently front upon Riverside Drive. In this case, the land-owners will need to enter into an agreement to share profits according to the original size of each parcel before right-of-way has been dedicated.

Goal B-2: Connect residential neighborhoods to commercial corridor on Riverside Drive.

Policies Policy B-1.1 As parcels along Riverside Drive consolidate and develop, they

shall be required to provide street connections that extend 16th, 17th, and 18th streets from Tronkeel Avenue to Riverside Drive.



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Policy B-1.2 As parcels along Riverside Drive consolidate and develop, they shall be required to provide entrances that are accessible to pe-destrians coming from Tronkeel Avenue.

D. Special Study Area C: Chino Avenue Industrial Area 1. Existing Setting

SSA C, the Chino Avenue Industrial Area generally extends from 5th to Ben-son Streets and from G Street to Chino Avenue. It is centered on the inter-section of Chino and Central Avenues, as shown in the aerial photograph in Figure 17. SSA C consists primarily of industrial uses, as shown in Figure 18, although there are scattered residences adjacent to industrial properties. The current General Plan designations for the study area are shown in Figure 19, which similarly calls for primarily industrial uses. However, market research indi-cated that this area has the greatest potential of the three SSAs for attached housing and mixed-use, in which people live over shops and other commer-cial establishments. Such housing would be close to industrial land uses, but brokers interviewed did not view this as a significant barrier; instead they felt that the proximity to restaurants and civic buildings, as well as the area’s his-toric character would be attractive to potential homeowners in SSA C. There is some precedent for housing near industrial uses in Chino as the new single-



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FIGURE 17 LOCATION OF SPECIAL STUDY AREA C

Figure 18 STUDY AREA C: EXISTING LAND USE



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FIGURE 19 STUDY AREA C: CURRENT GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

family homes on Monte Vista between Chino Avenue and Schaefer has been successful. The current light industrial uses that prevail in SSA C are generally successful and not expected to leave their spaces in the short-term. In addition, new small industrial and warehouse uses have been proposed for the site that for-merly housed L&L Nursery Supply, at the southeast corner of Chino and Central Avenues, indicating that there is market demand for more such spaces. However, over the long-term, businesses are expected to be drawn to the larger, more modern spaces being constructed in the southern portion of Chino closer to Highway 71. The availability of alternative industrial spaces in the City may ultimately limit demand for the industrial uses in SSA C. The current land uses found in the study area are separated from the nearby Civic Center by the railroad tracks along Chino Avenue. In addition, no buildings open onto this stretch of Chino Avenue, giving it the feel of a frontage road. Currently, the streets in the area are not inviting to pedestri-



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ans due to the railroad tracks, incomplete sidewalk coverage, and the large expanses of parking associated with the industrial uses. Traffic volumes in the study area are greatest on Central Avenue, which cur-rently carries 23,000 vehicles per day with an acceptable traffic LOS D or greater. The railroad spur serving the city’s industrial areas crosses Central Avenue at the intersection of Central and Chino Avenues and can cause backups along Central Avenue. The City’s Railroad Master Plan currently calls for this portion of the rail line to be redirected so it does not cross this intersection. Central Avenue is four lanes within the study area but is slated for expansion to six lanes in the Circulation Element of the existing General Plan. 2. Approach

The three alternatives for SSA C explored ways that this area could have a more orderly pattern of industrial and residential development. The alterna-tives also examined options for the existing rail line that runs through the area. 3. Land Use and Design Concept

The preferred concept for this SSA will focus on mixed-use, townhomes, and live-work lofts to the west of Central Avenue and remain industrial to the east of Central Avenue. It includes ground-floor retail at the intersection of Chino and Central, taking advantage of proximity to the Civic Center and Transit Center area, and includes an expanded Transit Center. General Plan land use designations are shown in Figure 20 and the illustrative diagram in Figure 21. In addition the railroad within this area will be partially retained such that it terminates with a stop just south of the existing Transit Center, ultimately providing a passenger rail connection along the Chino Branch Rail Line to the Pomona Metrolink Station. The concept retains the approach taken in the current Rail Master Plan that would re-route the train spur line to the south A cross-section of Chino Ave as a six-lane boulevard is shown in Figure 22.



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FIGURE 20 SPECIAL STUDY AREA C: PREFERRED CONCEPT GENERAL

PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

FIGURE 21 SPECIAL STUDY AREA C: PREFERRED CONCEPT ILLUSTRA-

TIVE DIAGRAM



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FIGURE 22 CHINO AVENUE FOUR-LANE ARTERIAL WITH PARKING

Three perspective sketches illustrate the preferred concept in Figures 23, 24 and 25. The first illustrates a mixture of retail and residential uses at the in-tersection of Chino and Central Avenues. The second shows the view look-ing east on F Street at townhomes that would be built there, and the third shows the view looking west on G Street at live/work units. 4. Transportation

The traffic analysis of the SSA alternatives examined the impact of changes in land use on the number of vehicle trips generated, and effects on local road-ways. The analysis evaluated the potential change in traffic volumes on key roadway segments and whether the change could cause a roadway segment to have a poor level of service and experience congestion, relative to City stan-dards. Typically, levels of service are based on an analysis of traffic impacts on a peak hour (e.g. AM and PM commute peaks or weekend peak) and daily basis. A more detailed explanation of level of service can be found in the box on page 11.



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FIGURE 23 LOOKING AT CENTRAL AND CHINO MIXED-USE

FIGURE 24 TOWNHOMES ON F STREET



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FIGURE 25 LIVE-WORK LOFTS ON G STREET

The analysis considered existing conditions plus SSA land use changes, and did not include potential traffic increases in the future due to other local de-velopment projects or regional growth. The analysis of the number of vehicle trips produced by the land uses shows minimal increases or decreases in the trips generated, with very little differ-ence from the current number of trips. The largest percentage increase occurs during the Saturday mid-day peak; however the number of trips during this time period is minimal. Central Avenue just north of SSA C currently operates at LOS E, which ex-ceeds the City level of service standard. Chino Avenue and Central Avenue (south of Chino Avenue) both currently operate at an acceptable level of ser-vice. The preferred concept adds a small number of daily trips to the local roadways, but should not cause a decrease in the levels of service of the road-ways near SSA C.



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Roadway configurations for Chino Avenue will include 12-foot sidewalks on both sides of the street to serve the area’s new residential population and con-nect existing residential areas to the Civic Center. The introduction of new streets will increase connections through the area, decrease block size and block length, increasing the likelihood that people choose to walk or bike rather than drive to nearby shopping and other destinations. The increase in residential population will benefit from the expanded transit center with Metrolink rail station. 5. Market and Fiscal Overview

Land use changes vary in their effect on revenue contributions to the City’s General Fund, the Redevelopment Agency and the Chino Valley Independent Fire District. A brief description of these is provided in the box on page 16. In addition, land use changes could impact the cost to the City of providing services. The reduction in industrial land uses will have a less negative impact than might be expected. Many new businesses will be more attracted to larger, modern facilities built further south in the City. The older manufacturing businesses that predominate on Chino Avenue are likely to be undervalued, and therefore generate less than average property tax revenue for the City of Chino. They are also less likely to generate considerable business-to-business sales tax. New residential development will help build the City’s residential tax base, which has given the City its most stable revenue growth over time. Due to the smaller lots, ownership patterns, and condition of the housing stock in the area, the City will need to proactively work with residents, property owners and developers to make the residential and mixed-use development a reality. With respect to police, fire and community service, the development changes in the area will not reach the threshold for triggering any additional support officer hiring or equipment.



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6. Public Health Implications

The public health analysis looked at the land use and transportation changes to the area. Generally, changes were small, but even small changes in these public health outcomes can have relatively large returns in relative risk of obesity-related conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, in addition to decreased healthcare costs at the population level. The analysis looked at how three dependent variables related to body weight: Percent Obese, Percent Taking a Walk Trip, and Minutes of Moderate Physi-cal Activity were affected by three land use measures, which were calculated as independent variables. The three land use measures included: mix of land uses, net residential density, and street intersection density. Increases in all three land use measures are associated with decreases in percent obese and increases in walking and moderate physical activity in the published research upon which this analysis was based. In this study area, the proposed changes would be expected to increase walk-ing trips since they include a substantial amount of residential development and some employment adjacent to transit—the transit center augmented with a new rail station. While SSA C’s proposed land uses have positive public health outcomes, sites will need to be carefully designed to ensure that the air quality and noise im-pacts associated with living near a high-traffic area and industrial uses are mitigated. Section E, which provides design guidance for all land uses within the three study areas, includes guidance for reducing these impacts. In addi-tion, with respect to air quality impacts, mitigation over the long-term in-cludes improved use of clean vehicle technology, especially for the diesel trucks that cause the greatest amount of particulate pollution. Improvements in clean technologies for the industrial uses will also assist in ensuring that new residents are not exposed to unnecessary health risks.



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7. Goals, Policies and Actions

The following Goals, Policies and Actions are proposed for the implementa-tion of the preferred concept for SSA C. They will be incorporated into the General Plan and applied to this specific area. However, refinements may be needed to ensure they are consistent with the full General Plan document. Goal C-1: Create a mixed-use and residential area to the south of the Civic Center that provides a lively environment, supports local retail and services, and takes advantage of its proximity to the Transit Center (including possi-ble rail connection to Metrolink).

Policies Policy C-1.1 Live-work lofts, multi-family units, and mixed-use develop-

ment in this area of the City shall provide entrances oriented and scaled to the pedestrian.

Policy C-1.2 Live-work lofts shall function as a transitional use between

industrial uses to the south of the Study Area and residential uses to the north.

Policy A-1.3 New residential uses, whether single- or mixed-use shall use

state of the art design, technologies and siting techniques to mitigate the effects of high volume streets or industrial uses on residential uses.

Policy A-1.4 The stretch of Chino Avenue bordered by the railroad tracks,

between Monte Vista and Benson Avenues, shall feature land-scaping and enhanced pedestrian amenities, such as a consis-tent sidewalk.

Actions



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Action C-1.1 Existing uses within this area are permitted to continue, but are encouraged to upgrade their facilities to provide better pe-destrian amenities on sidewalks and open areas.

Action C-1.2 Work with residential, commercial and industrial landowners

to consolidate parcels so they can create large enough spaces for development of live-work lofts on the block bounded by Central Avenue, F, 5th, and G Streets.

Goal C-2: Re-route the railroad spur so it turns south between Ramona and Yorba Avenues as directed in the Rail Master Plan. Retain the spur as far as the Transit Center so that eventual rail service to the Metrolink in Pomona is not precluded from future planning.

Actions Action C-2.1 Contact the railroad operator to initiate re-routing the spur

line to connect to southern destinations in Chino. Action C-2.2 Work with rail-dependent users to the east of the Transit Cen-

ter to help them either relocate to sites in southern Chino that will retain rail service or devise an alternative mode of delivery for supplies and products.

Goal C-3: Update the industrial area to the east of Central Avenue so it con-tinues to function as a vibrant industrial center providing valuable jobs for the community.

Policies Policy C-3.1 Existing uses within this area are permitted to continue, but

shall bring their facilities up to the standards described below for Industrial and Office uses when developing, redeveloping, or undertaking a major remodel.



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Actions Action C-3.1 As properties develop and redevelop in this area, focus on

light industrial uses that will be more compatible with the neighboring residential uses; will not be reliant on rail service and less reliant on large-scale shipping; and will be flexible enough to respond to changes in the local and global market.

E. Design Guidance The purpose of this section is to provide design guidance for private and pub-lic projects undertaken within the three SSAs. Ultimately, this will promote the improved aesthetic and functional quality of these areas. Separate guide-lines are provided for each land use category found within the SSAs. Some guidelines are related specifically to homes built on high-traffic road-ways. High-traffic roadways are defined as those with over 100,000 average daily trips (ADT). The only roadway that currently meets that standard is Highway 60. The City may want to consider asking developers of buildings along higher-traffic arterials that do not have this number of trips to follow these guidelines as well. These would include Riverside Drive, Central Ave-nue, Chino Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

1. Basic Principles

This section discusses some basic principles for buildings. Although the stan-dards offer specific guidance for particular land use categories in the SSAs, this section offers a preliminary overview of some basic principles for the design of buildings and how buildings can better relate to the community they serve. These principles, although straightforward and rudimentary, should be con-sidered in the preliminary phases of the design of a project. Applicants should refer to other sections for more detailed design standards and guide-lines. The goal inherent in these principles and the guidelines in this docu-ment is to produce a built environment that, rather than being oriented to the automobile, is oriented to people.



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a. Building Orientation Entrances to buildings or building complexes shall face onto or be clearly visible from a public street. b. Building Massing The massing, or three-dimensional volumetric form, of larger buildings shall be broken into smaller components that more readily relate to the human scale. Building massing should generally conform to buildings in the sur-rounding vicinity. c. Building Components A building shall have three distinct components that establish a human scale and promote a relationship to people using the building. A building shall have a base, a middle and a top, which can be achieved for any architectural style or building type. d. Façade Composition The design of building façades shall incorporate elements that help to break up long, undifferentiated walls or sides of buildings and facilitate a relation-ship with the building’s users as well as its landscape setting. e. Relationship to the Human Form Building façades that are visible from public streets shall incorporate design features and architectural elements that relate to the scale of the pedestrian. Buildings that utilize smaller-scale elements and useable outdoor spaces, such as plazas or seating areas, will appear less massive, fit more appropriately on their sites and appear more inviting to visitors and residents or building users. f. Pedestrian Orientation Site planning, building design and landscaping of projects should implement design solutions that provide amenities, maximize access and optimize the use of new development by pedestrians.



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2. Industrial and Office

This section contains the design standards for development and improvement of office and industrial buildings and projects. Applicants should discuss spe-cific zoning code requirements with the Planning Department. a. Building Setback a.1 Building setbacks should be designed to define and shape the pedestrian

realm on public streets, provide visual interest and foster a sense of secu-rity.

a.2 If the building or parking lot is visible from residential areas, additional landscaping should be used to mitigate potential visual impacts.

a.3 All required minimum front, side and rear setbacks shall be adequately landscaped.

b. Existing Landscaping c.2 Existing mature trees on building sites should be preserved, protected and

maintained wherever possible.

c. New landscaping c.2 Building façades facing side or rear yard property lines not adjacent to a

street frontage shall have a 10-foot minimum landscape area adjacent to the structure, except in areas used for storage, loading or other activities that would make the landscaping inappropriate or superfluous.

c.3 Walls and fences that extend out from the main structure for purposes of screening service, storage, loading or mechanical areas should also have a 10-foot minimum landscape strip adjacent to the exterior-facing side of the wall.

c.4 Planting plans for building setbacks should include a hierarchy of plant-ings in terms of size and types of plant materials that mark the transition between the horizontal ground plane at the sidewalk or parking area and the tall, vertical façades of buildings. Landscaping close to the sidewalk



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should allow views into the site while denser plant material should be lo-cated closer to the building.

c.5 Setback areas adjacent to side or rear façades should be provided with landscaping in order to soften the visual impact of these areas when viewed from a street, parking area or adjacent properties.

c.6 Native and drought-resistant plants should be used in landscaped areas to minimize water and maintenance needs.

c.7 Landscaped areas should include be designed and located to reduce runoff and provide stormwater treatment. Swales should be provided to treat runoff from paved areas.

d. Site Layout d.1 The placement and orientation of the building on the site should provide

visual clues to the development’s functional organization, such as the lo-cations of service areas, public parking facilities and primary entrances.

e. Parking e.1 In order to reduce public views of parking areas, a significant amount of a

development’s parking area should be located beside or behind the build-ing.

e.2 All outdoor parking areas should be divided into smaller units to decrease visual impacts associated with large expanses of pavement and vehicles, and to facilitate safe and efficient pedestrian movement between parking and structures. Methods for dividing parking areas into smaller compo-nents include the incorporation of landscaped medians between parking bays. These landscaped medians can include pedestrian paths.

e.3 Surface parking areas facing a public street should be buffered by berming or landscaping.

e.4 For security purposes, openings should be incorporated into the land-scape design to provide clear views into the site.

e.5 Access driveways should be sufficient in number to provide safe and effi-cient movement of traffic to and from a site; they should, however, be



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kept at a minimum to reduce the potential for interference with off-site circulation.

e.6 Within the site, access drives should provide sufficient length to permit vehicle stacking during hours of peak use without impacting circulation within the parking lot or on the fronting public street.

e.7 The number of driveways from parking areas onto the main frontage roadway should be kept to a minimum. Whenever possible access drives should connect to side streets.

e.8 Common access driveways are encouraged for adjacent lots to reduce the number of access points onto arterial streets.

e.9 Parking areas should include designated pedestrian access to building en-trances.

e.10 On-site pathways which are separated from vehicular traffic should be provided for pedestrians and bicyclists and should provide connections between building entries and public sidewalks.

e.11 Pedestrian walkways and spaces should include elements such as special paving materials, raised curbs, trellis structures, landscaping, pedestrian-scaled lighting, seating and trash receptacles.

f. Building Design f.1 Buildings should be designed with elements that relate to the human scale

and incorporate some of the following elements:

♦ Outdoor patios for passive or active recreation.

♦ Awnings, overhangs or trellises

♦ Changes in building massing, such as change in wall planes or vary-ing height.

♦ Changes in building materials and colors.

♦ Delineation of building façade to indicate the base, middle, and top of the building.

f.2 Exterior building walls should be varied and the façade articulated using the following means:

♦ Change in plane of at least 2 to 3 feet.



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♦ Change in elevation that incorporates the building’s massing.

f.3 Windows should be consistent with the design of the building façade and should include some of the following elements:

♦ Recessed windows. ♦ Window trim and sills. ♦ Clear or lightly tinted glass.

f.4 Window proportions should be part of an overall design concept and should be vertically oriented.

f.5 Building entries should be emphasized by changes in building mass, height or both.

g. Service Areas g.1 Loading docks, truck doors and service areas should not be located be-

tween the primary building and the primary street.

g.2 Any outdoor storage areas containing materials, supplies or equipment, including heavy trucks and trailers, should be screened from public view.

g.3 Loading docks, truck doors and service areas should be screened from public view.

g.4 Loading docks and service areas should be located at the rear of the de-velopment wherever possible and should be separated from automobile parking areas.

g.5 Screening of loading docks and service areas should be integrated into the design of the building.

g.6 Loading areas shall be located so that trucks that are being loaded or unloaded do not disrupt the smooth flow of traffic within the project area.

g.7 Trash bins should be located within a trash enclosure at all times.

g.8 Utility cabinets and meters should be contained within the building or otherwise fully screened.



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3. Commercial

This section contains guidelines for development in commercial districts. Applicants should discuss specific zoning code requirements with the Plan-ning Department. a. Building Siting and Orientation a.1 Buildings should be sited to reinforce the public street network by incor-

porating active façades, with windows, doors and other architectural ele-ments giving interest to the building wall along the sidewalk and provid-ing views into and out of the building.

a.2 Loading and service entrances should not intrude upon the public view, nor interfere with pedestrian and vehicular flows within the project.

a.3 Where buildings are located at major or gateway intersections or front important community spaces, a prominent architectural corner treatment of the building mass is required.

a.4 Near the corner, the building should either be sited on the property lines or set back to provide a public open space which provides direct access to the building or frames an open space between buildings.

a.5 Attractively landscaped areas may also be permitted where siting of a building’s public open space at a corner is not feasible.

a.6 Buildings located on corners should include special design features and architectural features, which help to anchor the intersection.

a.7 Commercial development should not create unattractive views from neighboring uses by orienting blank building walls towards neighbors. Any visible building walls should incorporate architectural elements to create visual interest.

a.8 All visible frontages should be detailed with architectural elements.

a.9 Owners of adjoining commercial properties are strongly encouraged to develop shared facilities such as driveways, parking areas, pedestrian pla-zas and walkways.



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b. Pedestrian Orientation All commercial areas should emphasize pedestrian orientation by creating attractive pedestrian spaces which utilize such features as plazas, interior walkways, ornamental gates, trellises, lighting, plant materials, seating and fountains. c. Parking c.1 Surface parking should not be provided at the corners of corner sites. c.2 Parking should be provided behind the building and should provide pe-

destrian connections to the project. c.3 Parking lots should incorporate landscaped medians and pedestrian-scaled

lighting. d. Building Design d.1 Buildings should be architecturally subdivided into horizontal increments

at both the ground floor and at upper stories.

d.2 Larger commercial developments should break up storefronts through the use of various materials and colors

d.3 Where multiple-tenant spaces are incorporated into a building, individual tenant spaces shall be located within the horizontal increments. This can be achieved with the following: ♦ Placing a column, pier or pilaster between building bays. ♦ Applying a vertical slot or recess between building bays. ♦ Providing variation in plane along the building wall. ♦ Varying the building wall by recessing the storefront entrance or creat-

ing a niche for landscaping or a pedestrian area.

d.4 Building façades should be varied and articulated to add visual variety, distinctiveness and human scale. Elements that are recommended to ar-ticulate a building’s façade include: ♦ Design details for the top of a building, including cornice lines, para-

pets, eaves, brackets, fenestration and other detailing.



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♦ Design details for the body, or middle, of the building including win-dows, awnings, trellises, canopies, pilasters, columns, decorative light-ing, alcoves, balconies and window boxes.

♦ Design details for the base of a building, including recessed entry areas, covered outdoor areas, alcoves and wainscoting of a contrasting mate-rial or color.

4. Multi-FamilyResidential

This section applies to multi-family residential buildings. a. Building Siting and Orientation a.1 Planting strips between the sidewalk and the back of the curb are

strongly encouraged. They should be a minimum of 5 feet in width.

a.2 Trees planted in planting strips should be chosen from the list of trees suggested by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for their ability to clean pollutants and particulates out of the air.

b. Open Space b.1 Common open space areas should be readily accessible from all buildings

with the maximum number of units possible sited adjacent to the com-mon open space areas.

b.2 In addition to the common open space areas, projects should be encour-aged to provide each unit with usable private open space. These private spaces should be directly accessible from the unit and large enough to permit outdoor living activities.

b.3 The location of all open space areas should take into account climatic factors such as sun orientation and prevailing winds.

b.4 For buildings located on high-traffic roadways, all open space areas should be located away from the roadway, as internal courtyards or other configurations separated from the street.

b.5 Balconies facing high-traffic roadways should have solid barriers to help attenuate noise from the street below.



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c. Parking c.1 Whenever possible, parking lots should be located behind residential

structures, rather than along the primary frontage, to minimize visual impact to the street. Parking lots must be recessed behind the front wall of the building.

c.2 Where individual garages are incorporated into projects, common drive-ways, private streets or alley-loaded access is encouraged. The design of these structures should relate to the primary building.

c.3 Within the site, access drives should provide sufficient length to permit vehicle stacking during hours of peak use, without impacting circulation within the parking lot or on the fronting public street.

c.4 Flat roofed carports are discouraged. d. Building Design d.1 The massing of larger residential buildings should be broken down to

convey a sense of “home”, and give individuality to each unit that lies within it.

d.2 Building massing should be subdivided into portions or segments com-patible with the adjacent residential scale.

d.3 Façades of long buildings should be architecturally subdivided into shorter segments every 25 to 50 feet maximum.

d.4 Each vertical module of units should incorporate architectural features that help to individually distinguish them, such as wall breaks, projec-tions, distinct color schemes and individual roof treatments.

d.5 Building massing should be legible as individual residences or small groups of units and called out using one or more of the following meth-ods: ♦ Separate building volumes or façade protrusions ♦ Window bays or balconies ♦ Porches and entrance vestibules ♦ Individual roof volumes and other roof articulation



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d.6 Building façades should incorporate the following features to architectur-ally distinguish modules of housing units: a) Vertical Architectural Features: ♦ Apply a vertical slot or recess between façade segments with a 6 inch

minimum recess depth and a 15 inch minimum width. This feature is intended to provide façade articulation to reduce the perceived scale and bulk of the building frontage.

♦ Apply a vertical pilaster between façades with a 3 inch minimum pro-trusion and a 15 inch minimum width. The maximum horizontal pro-trusion of pilasters into the public right-of-way should be 6inches.

♦ Project a part of the building, such as a tower, above the main building volume.

b) Building Wall ♦ Vary the offset of portions of the building along the main façade, using

elements such as bays or building volumes to create the offset. ♦ Change the color or material of segments across the façade. Material

changes should always be accompanied by a change in plane and sepa-rated by framing or other means.

c) Individualized Roof Forms ♦ Use individual roof pitches to break up the form. For example, a single

building could express individual units through a series of smaller ga-bled dormers.

♦ Subdivide flat roofs into recognizable segments with shifts in height and cornice treatments at street façades.

d.7 The following methods are recommended to break down the building mass of multi-story buildings: ♦ Accentuating the ground floor of the building by making it thicker or

more substantial visually than upper stories. ♦ Using entry porticos and front porches or other articulation at the

ground level. ♦ Using upper story setbacks or partial indentations for upper story fea-

tures, such as balconies, outdoor moldings or cornices, to accentuate the horizontal levels of a building.



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d.8 Profile, corrugated and other sheet, rolled and extruded metal surfaces are acceptable in limited circumstances such as an agricultural theme mate-rial, or for live-work structures in a warehouse/industrial style.

d.9 Buildings located along high-traffic roadways should include state-of-the-art filtration systems designed to reduce the amount of pollution that en-ters into the building air.

5. Small-Lot Single-Family Development

The guidelines in this section apply specifically to small-lot single-family resi-dential development, for which lots are typically less than 4,500 square feet. a. Siting a.1 Building entries shall be located on the front façade and directly access a

sidewalk.

a.2 Since setbacks are typically reduced in small-lot subdivisions, additional care should be taken to break up the bulk and massing of the homes.

a.3 To facilitate development of small-lot single-family homes, implementa-tion of rear alleys should be considered for accessing garages, off-street parking, utilities and trash facilities.

6. Mixed-Use

This section applies to new and redeveloped construction in land use areas designated Mixed-Use. Generally, developers are encouraged to implement a vertically mixed-use typology, such as multi-family residential use above a retail use. However, some general guidelines are also provided for the design of parcels on which the mix of uses is developed horizontally, such as an apartment complex adjacent to a retail center. Applicants should refer to Sec-tions 3 and 4 of these guidelines for guidance on commercial and multi-family components of mixed-use projects. They should discuss specific zoning code requirements with the Planning Department.



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a. Site Planning a.1 Where feasible, buildings should be located adjacent to the street at the

front setback line or immediately behind a public or semi-public space, such as an outdoor seating area for a restaurant.

a.2 Retail uses with entrance doors and windows should front onto the street at the ground-floor level.

a.3 The street corners of corner sites should be developed with buildings, public plazas or open space areas. The building should either be sited on the corner property lines or set back from the corner to provide a public open space that provides direct internal access. Attractively landscaped areas may also be permitted where siting of a building or public open space at a corner is not feasible.

a.4 Surface parking should not be provided at the corners of corner sites or in front of buildings on other sites. Required parking should be provided behind the building.

a.5 Buildings located on corners should include special architectural features, such as a tower element or a sign, which help to anchor the intersection.

a.6 A modest articulation of the building mass should be provided at corner sites.

a.7 Additional corner treatments may include a rounded or angled facet on the corner, location of the building entrance at the corner and/or an em-bedded corner tower.

a.8 Loading and service entrances shall not intrude upon the public view or interfere with pedestrian and vehicular flows within the project.

b. Horizontal mixed-use This section refers to development that proposes a mixture of commercial and residential land uses that are adjacent to each other on the same parcel. The opportunities for interplay between these uses will primarily be in the rela-tionship of the open space and parking components of the adjoining uses.



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b.1 Plazas and building forecourts should be developed so as to maximize circulation opportunities between adjacent uses.

b.2 Open space areas associated with residential development should be con-figured to provide privacy for residential uses while also linking to the public open space components of the project.

b.3 Parking areas should not create a separation between adjacent land uses and buildings.

b.4 Parking areas should be located on the periphery of projects and should provide pedestrian connections to projects.

b.5 Opportunities for shared use of parking facilities should be explored. Peak demand can be different for different land uses. Residential guest parking in particular can take advantage of surplus parking space that the commercial areas will have during evening and overnight periods.

c. Vertical mixed-use c.1 Entrances to residential, office or other upper-story uses should be clearly

distinguishable in form and location from retail or other ground floor uses.

c.2 Windows should all be related in design, and upper floor windows should be smaller in size than storefront windows on the first floor.

c.3 Doors at storefronts with windows should match the materials, design and character of the display window framing.

c.4 Commercial storefronts should include street-oriented display windows that provide visual access to the inside of the building, while also display-ing merchandise.

c.5 Awnings and canopies over building entrances are encouraged. If pro-vided, each storefront should have a consistent awning or canopy in buildings with multiple storefronts.



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c.6 Building siting and parking design should maximize opportunities for pedestrian and vehicular circulation between adjacent sites, such as joint access easements and common driveways.

c.7 Parking areas should be located on the sides or rear of projects with pe-destrian connections between the parking areas of the project.

c.8 Parking should be integrated within the project and visually de-emphasized.

7. Streets

This section includes guidance for the design of streets, with special attention to major streets, since these are the City’s major travel corridors and are typi-cally the first route of entry into the City. a. General standards This section gives design guidance for streetscape features. a.1 Design elements that reduce perceived street widths are encouraged.

These elements can include landscaping, street tree placement, medians and street furniture.

a.2 Landscaped medians should be provided on wider, busier streets and should be wide enough, where feasible, to support trees with a high and broad branching canopy.

a.3 Where medians are narrowed near intersections, landscaping should be graduated and include the use of smaller trees and ground cover.

a.4 The use of groundcover at intersections is favored over the use of hard-scape.

a.5 Hardscape should only be used in medians where planting is not feasible due to constraints such as narrow median width.

a.6 Sidewalk planting strips should be wide enough to accommodate street trees with a high, broad branching canopy.



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a.7 Planting strips should be installed between the back of the curb and the sidewalk.

a.8 Hardscape should only be used where planting is not feasible due to nar-row sidewalk width.

a.9 Appropriate street furniture should be incorporated into the design of the street. It should be:

♦ Of a similar palette to the buildings on the street.

♦ Constructed of durable materials that will withstand the elements, public use and vandalism.

a.10 Style and function of street lights should be determined by the type and level of illumination required and the character of the area to be illumi-nated.

b. Planting This section provides guidance for plants to be included in roadway medians and sidewalk planters. b.1 Drought-tolerant landscaping should be provided in all plantings associ-

ated with streets. The goal should be to provide landscaping that does not require irrigation after it is established.

b.2 When irrigation is necessary, automatic irrigation systems should be in-stalled and designed so that they do not overspray public walks, paved ar-eas and buildings.

a: special study areas report - city of...

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