DATE: August 20, 2025
TO: CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION
FROM: MICHAEL HITZ, AICP, PRINCIPAL PLANNER
SUBJECT
title
Comprehensive General Plan Update PL23-0128 (General Plan Amendment) and PL23-0129 (Zone Map Change)
end
• PL23-0128 (General Plan Amendment) - A comprehensive update to the City's 2025 General Plan proposed to address multi-modal mobility, environmental justice, climate vulnerability, emergency evacuation, among other topics required by State law. The proposed 2045 General Plan Update seeks to focus on new development in key opportunity areas with vacant and underutilized land where change is foreseeable, while maintaining the existing urban form and enhancing the character and quality of life in Chino’s established neighborhoods.
• PL23-0129 (Zone Change) - A proposed amendment to Title 20 (Zoning), Chapter 20.03 (Zoning Districts and Zoning Map) of the Chino Municipal Code to incorporate targeted zoning map amendments proposed to better align zoning with as built uses and market potential for the respective sites. All the map amendments involve a change from one existing zoning district to another and all amendments are consistent with the requirements of Measure M, the City's residential growth control measure.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Adopt Planning Commission Resolution No. PC2025-020, recommending the City Council certify the City of Chino 2045 General Plan Update Environmental Impact Report (EIR), adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), adopt the Environmental Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations related to air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, historic resources, and transportation.
2. Adopt Planning Commission Resolution No. PC2025-021, recommending the City Council adopt the 2045 General Plan (PL 23-0128 General Plan Amendment), and repeal the 2025 General Plan (excluding the adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element), the Majestic Spectrum Specific Plan, Eucalyptus Business Park Specific Plan and Central Ave Specific Plan based on the findings listed in Planning Commission Resolution PC2025-020.
3. Adopt Planning Commission Resolution No. PC2025-022, recommending the City Council approve PL23-0129 (Zone Change) for targeted zoning map amendments that propose to better align zoning with as built uses and market potential for the respective sites based on the findings listed in Planning Commission Resolution PC2025-020.
BACKGROUND
The Chino General Plan is the City's blueprint for the future, built on a shared vision that describes the kind of community Chino residents and businesses want and identifies actions to take to realize the vision. In late 2022, the City embarked on a comprehensive update to the Chino General Plan and Zoning Code that will guide decision-making on development and conservation through 2045. The effort involves the following distinct phases of work:
• Phase 1: Visioning, Issues and Opportunities Identification - Key objectives of this phase were to (a) establish a community-wide vision and shared principles to guide the project, and (b) conduct analysis and document existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints in Chino to lay the foundation for alternatives exploration.
• Phase 2: Alternatives Exploration - Based on the outcomes of Phase 1, this Phase involved preparation and evaluation of distinct alternatives for land use and transportation changes in key locations that respond to the existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints. The alternatives were represented conceptually with illustrations, video animations, and examples to facilitate understanding. Outreach was conducted to build consensus around which alternatives to move forward with and incorporate into the General Plan. A joint study session of the City Council and Planning Commission was held at the culmination of this Phase to confirm direction.
• Phase 3: Draft Plan, Zoning and EIR Preparation - This Phase focused on updating the General Plan to reflect Council direction and address emerging trends and new State law with guidance from General Plan Advisory Group (GPAC). It also involved preparation of a legally defensible EIR to identify and mitigate the environmental impacts.
• Phase 4: Adoption and Finalization - Phase 4, now underway, began with the release of the Draft General Plan and EIR for public review on June 20 and also includes hearings for adoption of the General Plan. The Draft Zoning Code Update will be released in the fall, and adoption is anticipated in early 2026.
Community engagement has been a cornerstone of the process. During Phase 1 community outreach activities, 1,060 Chino community members shared input on their priorities and preferences, which help create a set of Guiding Principles for the General Plan Update, describing the type of community residents and businesses would like Chino to be in 2045. At the outset of Phase 2, a set of alternatives was developed to illustrate options for achieving the vision encapsulated in the Guiding Principles. The alternatives focused on key areas of the City where change is foreseeable, presenting potential land use, transportation, and design changes that respond to the existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints. Outside of these areas, the General Plan will continue to maintain and preserve the City’s existing urban form. The alternatives were refined with input from the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) and then presented to the community at a series of outreach events, including two public open house meetings attended by more than 250 community members, presentations to various groups and organizations, a statistical survey of a representative sample of Chino voters, and a community wide online survey that garnered 619 responses. Based on community feedback, a preferred land use plan and a set of key strategies for land use, transportation, and community character (Preferred Plan) was prepared to present the ideas and concepts that emerged from the process and that were reviewed with the City Council and Planning Commission. The Preferred Plan has guided Phase 3 for preparation of the Public Review Draft 2045 General Plan. Phase 4 has been underway since June 2025 with completion of the Zoning Code Update related to adoption of the 20245 General Plan expected to occur in early 2026.
ISSUES AND ANALYSIS
The Chino 2045 General Plan is a comprehensive update of the City’s current 2025 General Plan that has been undertaken to address emerging issues and new State laws since the General Plan was adopted in 2010. Key objectives for the project include: preserving and enhancing local heritage and "small town" character; growing the local economy in ways that improve quality of life for local residents; modernizing the transportation system and improving options for getting around; and establishing a framework for a healthy, sustainable, and resilient community.
Organization of the 2045 General Pan
The organization of the General Plan has been slightly modified from the 2025 General Plan document to reflect Chino's current and future priorities for the coming years. The 2045 General Plan contains the following chapters and elements:
1. Introduction Chapter. This chapter outlines the purpose and uses of the General Plan; provides a community profile; recaps the update process; presents a shared community Vision and Guiding Principles for Chino’s future; and provides an overview of the General Plan organization, relationship to other plans, and requirements for administration.
2. Land Use and Community Character Element. This element satisfies the legal requirements for land use, describes the existing land use pattern and provides an explanation of the General Plan’s approach to citywide growth, with a map showing the desired distribution and location of land uses. It also describes the existing land use pattern, outlines a strategy for growth management and annexations, and includes land use designations with standards for density and intensity. Additionally, this element addresses community character and historic preservation, optional topics that are important priorities for the community. Policies in this element focus on revitalizing older shopping centers, fostering a vibrant downtown, supporting thriving neighborhoods, promoting ties to the past, and enhancing sense of place.
3. Economic Development Element. This optional element addresses a topic of local importance for Chino. It provides an overview of the population and employment context, and outlines goals and policies to support a strong, stable economy, including actions addressing positive city image; business attraction and retention; inclusive economic development; workforce development; and fiscal responsibility.
4. Infrastructure Element. This element addresses transportation and utility infrastructure in Chino, addressing the statutory requirements for circulation. It incorporates a circulation diagram that identifies major thoroughfares and transportation routes for vehicles, transit, bicycles, and pedestrians, and it includes policies for “complete streets,” roadway safety, and the efficient movement of goods. This element also identifies the location and extent of public utilities, including water, sewer, stormwater, and electricity infrastructure in Chino.
5. Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Element. This element satisfies legal requirements for addressing the topics of open space for outdoor recreation. This element also provides background information, and a policy framework related to parks and recreation; schools; community facilities and libraries; and police and fire services.
6. Hazards, Safety, and Noise Element. This element addresses risks associated with natural and humanmade hazards in Chino, including flooding, seismic events, dam inundation, wildfires, and noise. It also addresses compounded risk associated with climate change, incorporating strategies to build community resilience. It satisfies the statutory requirements for safety and noise, including requirements for an assessment of emergency evacuation capacity and climate vulnerability.
7. Health and Environmental Quality Element. This element addresses community health - a long-standing priority in Chino - together with new requirements for environmental justice identified under Senate Bill (SB) 1000 and SB535. It identifies “disadvantaged communities” in Chino and incorporates policies that address air quality and pollution exposure; physical activity; access to healthcare; healthy food access; and civic engagement and investment prioritization. It also addresses statutory requirements for the conservation, with background information and policies addressing resource conservation, environmental resource protection, energy and water conservation, and reuse and recycling.
8. Implementation Chapter. This chapter describes the process for the 2045 General Plan implementation, maintenance, and monitoring. It includes a table identifying near-term, mid-term, and long-term actions needed to implement the 2045 General Plan concepts and strategies. For each action, the responsible City departments and the timeframe for implementation are shown. Potential funding sources are also identified.
The 2045 General Plan’s 2021-2029 Housing Element is published under separate cover, given the length of that document, the level of detailed information required for compliance with State law, and the need to update the Housing Element every eight years, which is a shorter time frame than the rest of the General Plan. The current 2021-2029 Housing Element was adopted by the City and certified by the Californian Department of Housing and Development (HCD) in December 2024.
2045 General Plan Goals, Policies and Actions
Chapters 2 through 7 of the General Plan incorporate the required elements required by State law, as well as other topics of importance to Chino. Each of these elements is organized around a series of goals that describe the high-level outcomes that the community seeks to create through the implementation of the General Plan. Each goal in turn is supported by a series of policies and implementing actions that describe the steps the City will take to achieve each goal. Policies represent steps the City will take on an ongoing basis, as it considers approval of proposed projects and makes decisions on investments of public funds. Actions are more specific measures intended to implement one or more policies to help reach a specified goal. Typically, an action is a discrete item done once and completed, and taken together, the actions in the General Plan constitute a “to‐do list” for the City.
The goals of the 2045 General Plan have been comprehensively updated to reflect the Guiding Principles developed with extensive community input in Phase 1. Content of policies and implementation actions from the 2025 General Plan has been carried forward to the extent it remains relevant, and the overall policy framework has been refreshed and updated to ensure it reflects the opportunities and challenges Chino will need to address over the next 20 years.
2045 General Plan and Zoning Map discussion
As previously mentioned, the 2045 General Plan is made up of several required and optional elements. The elements and related information are explained in detail in the attached 2045 General Plan document (Attachment A.1). The content of this plan has been reviewed by both the Planning Commission and the City Council at various study sessions, as well as by staff from all departments prior to public release. Detailed below are topics for further discussion to provide clarification on certain key aspects of the project. These include land use and transportation additions and changes, related zoning map amendments, and the repeal of certain specific plans.
Land Use and Transportation
The General Plan Land Use Diagram (see Attachment A.1: Maps LCC-4a and LCC-4b General Plan Land Use and Attachment A.2: proposed General Plan Map), is a foundational component of the General Plan that illustrates the long-term vision for development and conservation in the planning area with land use designations that describe the character envisioned for each neighborhood and district. Each designation includes standards for density or intensity of use. The 2045 General Plan Land Use Diagram incorporates four new designations reviewed with the City Council and Planning Commission at the end of Phase 2: Downtown; Regional Mixed Use; Boulevard Mixed Use; and Employment Mixed Use. Outside of the locations where these new designations apply, the 2045 General Plan generally maintains the existing urban form from the 2025 General Plan and seeks to enhance the character and quality of life in Chino's established neighborhoods and districts. The Land Use Element also supports continued implementation of The Preserve Specific Plan in addition to the completion of the College Park and East Chino Specific Plans. However, as shown on Attachment A.2: General Plan Land Use Map, some targeted adjustments to General Plan land use are proposed to better align zoning with existing uses, surrounding context, and market potential for the respective sites.
Closely correlated with the General Plan Land Use Diagram, the Circulation Diagram (see Attachment A.1: Map INF-1: Circulation Diagram) depicts the roadway network with lane configurations planned to accommodate traffic circulation under the 2045 General Plan. Typical roadway cross sections for each street type shown on the Circulation Diagram are also included. Two new street types are proposed: Downtown streets that emphasize walkability and roadway safety and rural residential roadways for residential streets in the Sphere of Influence (SOI), that are currently in the unincorporated portions of San Bernardino County. This rural roadway classification will be utilized for the potential development and improvement of streets following annexation into the City. The purpose for the rural roadway classification is to allow for greater consistency with the residential streets as they are currently developed. While the 2025 General Plan Circulation Diagram envisioned the widening of the roadway segments shown on Table 1, technical modeling completed for the 2045 General Plan determined that this is not needed to adequately accommodate future traffic volumes. The future configuration of these roadway segments on the 2045 Circulation Diagram reflects this modeling, and as a result proposed developments along these roadway segments will not need to dedicate additional right-of-way as they are approved.
Table 1: PGP Map Revisions
|
Roadway |
AGP Scenario |
PGP Scenario |
|
|
Classification |
# of Lanes |
Classification |
# of Lanes |
|
Central Ave from El Prado Rd to Riverside Dr |
Major Arterial |
6 |
Primary Arterial |
4 |
|
Riverside Dr from Pipeline Ave to Euclid Ave |
Major Arterial |
6 |
Primary Arterial |
4 |
|
Chino Ave from West City Limit to East End Ave |
Major Arterial |
6 |
Secondary Arterial |
4 |
|
Chino Avenue from Monte Vista Ave to Benson Ave |
Secondary Arterial |
4 |
Secondary Arterial |
2 |
|
Schaefer Ave from Central Ave to Benson Ave |
Major Arterial |
6 |
Primary Arterial |
4 |
|
Benson Avenue from Francis Ave to SR-60 |
Secondary Arterial |
4 |
Secondary Arterial |
2 |
Additionally, the Truck Route Map (see Attachment A.1: Map INF-4: Designated Truck Routes Map), has been revised to remove certain segments from this map located in the Preserve Specific Plan area. This includes Kimball Avenue east of Euclid Avenue, Bickmore Avenue east of Euclid Avenue, Flight Avenue south of Remington Avenue and Quality Way between Kimball Avenue and Bickmore Avenue.
Related Zoning Map Amendments
In parallel with adoption of the 2045 General Plan, staff is proposing adoption of several related zoning map amendments, shown in Attachment C.1. These amendments are proposed to better align zoning with existing built uses and market potential for the respective sites. All the map amendments involve a change from one existing zoning district to another, and all amendments are consistent with the requirements of Measure M, the City's existing residential growth control measure. Additionally, some of the zoning map amendments reflect changes to zoning necessary to the repeal of various specific plans further outlined below, and the removal of the Office Commercial General Plan land use designation and zoning designation, due to its limited use throughout the City. These properties will have a General Plan and ultimately zoning designation of either neighborhood commercial or general commercial to better align with the current and future operation of the sites. For example, the auto mall land use designation in the Eucalyptus Business Park Specific Plan that has an Office Commercial General Plan designation is being replaced with both a General Commercial General Plan land use and Commercial General Zoning designation. This would allow for more flexibility of development in that area and continually allow for the operation and development of auto dealerships. The Draft City Council Ordinance is attached to this report.
Repeal of Specific Plans
The City has six specific plans, adopted between 1982 and 2004 to guide land use and development in certain areas of the City. The 2025 General Plan includes an action item to phase out various specific plans that has not previously been completed. While the specific plans were helpful in guiding initial development of the areas covered, in some areas there is little vacant land remaining and the original vision has largely been realized. Therefore, with the 2045 General Plan Update it makes sense to retire these older specific plans that have served their useful purpose: the Eucalyptus Business Park Specific Plan, the Majestic Spectrum Specific Plan, and the Central Avenue Specific Plan. Where there is an existing development agreement in place related to The Preserve Specific Plan, or where there are remaining development opportunities, such as within the College Park Specific Plan, the specific plans will remain in place. The East Chino Specific Plan will also remain in place.
In the case of the Central Avenue and Majestic Spectrum Specific Plans, the 2045 General Plan will apply new land use designations and policy direction reflecting community aspirations for those areas, and in the Eucalyptus Business Park Specific Plan new "good neighbor" policies and standards will be incorporated into the General Plan and Zoning Code to guide redevelopment of underutilized properties. Where the affordable housing overlay (AHO) and mixed use overlay (MUO) apply within these specific plan areas, those zoning designations would remain and the related design and development standards that apply to housing development on these sites also would be carried forward in the comprehensive Zoning Code Update, a public draft of which will be released in early 2026. The land use regulations and design and development standards needed to guide infill and redevelopment in older specific plan areas will be addressed by citywide or district-specific requirements, through overlays and by the new mixed use zoning districts proposed as part of Phase 4 of the General Plan Update.
PUBLIC NOTICE
A notice of the proposed project was published in the Chino Champion on July 26, 2025, and the City sent information out on the City’s social media platforms. Additionally, a 20-day notice was mailed to all property owners within a 300-foot radius of the sites with proposed zoning map changes. The notice meets the legal noticing requirements and is adequate in scope for this project. There were six comment letters received regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (attachment B.4), as outlined below, to date of this report, there have been no other comment letters received.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Program EIR for the City of Chino 2045 General Plan Update (SCH#2024090833) was prepared by RECON Environmental, Inc, pursuant to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15120 to 15132. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR was publicized and circulated to State and local agencies between September 23, 2024, through October 24, 2024. A Scoping Meeting was also held on October 17, 2024, to receive public comments on the scope and content of the 2045 General Plan EIR. Based on the input received, a detailed environmental analysis was conducted, and the Draft 2045 General Plan EIR was released for a 45-day public review and comment period from June 20, 2025, through August 4, 2025. Six comment letters, containing approximately 35 unique comments, were received. The comment letters and responses to the comments are included with the Final 2045 General Plan EIR (Exhibit B.1) and attached (B.4).
Section 15126.2(a)(c) of CEQA requires an EIR to identify and focus on the significant environmental effects of the proposed General Plan update, including effects that cannot be avoided if the General Plan update is implemented. Based on the analysis contained in the Draft 2045 General Plan EIR, the City has determined that the proposed 2045 General Plan update would result in significant and unavoidable impacts associated with air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, historic resources, noise, and transportation and that a Statement of Overriding Considerations (attachment B.2) for these impacts is appropriate. In addition, based on the environmental analysis contained in the Draft EIR, the City has determined that the proposed General Plan update could result in significant direct and/or cumulative impacts that could be mitigated to less than significant levels with respect to the following issues: biological resources; cultural and tribal cultural resources; geology, soils, and seismicity; and noise. Mitigation Measures to address these impacts were incorporated into the Draft 2045 General Plan EIR and the MMRP is attached (attachment B.5). An Errata has also been attached (attachment B.3) that outlines all of the changes made to the Final PEIR in response to comments received on the Draft EIR.
Attachments:
A. Resolution PC2025-021 General Plan Adoption
A.1 2045 General Plan (link below)
A.2 Proposed General Plan Map
B. Resolution PC2025-020 EIR Certification
B.1 Final 2045 General Plan Update PEIR (link below)
B.2 Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
B.3 Errata
B.4 Response to Comments
B.5 Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP)
C. Resolution PC2025-022 Zoning Map Amendment
C.1 Zoning Map Update
D. Draft City Council Zone Change Ordinance
<https://www.cityofchino.org/591/Environmental-Documents>