HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 2026-02PLANNING COMMISSION
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-02
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND
BAR, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE
TOWN CENTER SPECIFIC PLAN AND CORRESPONDING AMENDMENTS TO THE
GENERAL PLAN 2040 LAND USE . AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT,
DEVELOPMENT CODE, AND ZONING MAP.
A. RECITALS
1. On December 17, 2019, the City Council adopted the Diamond Bar General
Plan 2040 ("General Plan") and the Climate Action Plan 2040 ("CAP") to
create a vision and blueprint for development through 2040. The Vision to
create a Diamond Bar Town Center was conceived with the adoption of the
General Plan Update. Early in the General Plan Update process, Diamond
Bar residents expressed a desire to establish a downtown, or "Town Center"
in Diamond Bar: a walkable "place" with entertainment, retail, restaurants,
community gathering spaces and urban housing opportunities. Participants
in the General Plan Update process cited various examples of thriving
historic, revitalized and newly created downtowns in nearby communities
that they patronize regularly, including Brea, Chino Hills, Claremont,
Fullerton and Monrovia. Several sites within the City were initially identified
and discussed as potential locations for the Town Center. Ultimately, the
45-acre commercial district along Diamond Bar Boulevard, between Golden
Springs Drive and the SR-60 Freeway would be designated as the Town
Center Mixed -Use Focus Area in the General Plan.
2. The Diamond Bar General Plan 2040 establishes the Town Center Mixed -
Use, Neighborhood Mixed -Use, Transit Oriented Mixed -Use, and
Community Core Overlay focus areas and corresponding land use
designations, estimates that up to 3,750 new housing units could be built in
the City by 2040, and anticipates that much of this growth will occur within
these four focus areas.
3. In conjunction with the adoption of the General Plan and the CAP, the City,
as lead agency, prepared an Environmental Impact Report, State
Clearinghouse Number 2018051066, to analyze the potential
environmental impacts of those plans (the "EIR"). The City Council certified
the EIR on December 17, 2019, and the City filed a Notice of Determination
on December 18, 2019.
4. The following passage from the General Plan summarizes the community
vision for the Town Center:
Throughout the General Plan update process, residents of Diamond
Bar have expressed a desire for greater access to dining,
entertainment, and retail establishments within the city. More
specifically, community input indicated a desire for the concentration
of these new establishments within a walkable area resembling a
more traditional downtown. While Diamond Bar has numerous
centers of activity, including the Diamond Bar Center, the City Hall
and Library complex, high schools and various . suburban -style
commercial centers, the city lacks a clear community focal point — a
role commonly played by a vibrant downtown.
5. A number of principles were established as part of the General Plan to
further expand, reinforce and support the community vision. Guiding
Principle 3 describes the Town Center's role as follows: "Create an inviting
Town Center. Foster the development of a vibrant, pedestrian -oriented
Town Center in Diamond Bar that serves as a place for Diamond Bar's
residents to shop, dine and gather."
6. To support the community vision and Guiding Principle 3, the General Plan
Land Use and Economic Development Element sets forth the following
Goals for the Town Center:
LU-G-22 - Promote and support the commercial area on both sides of
Diamond Bar Boulevard from Golden Springs Drive to SR-60 as a vibrant,
pedestrian -oriented Town Center that serves as Diamond Bar's primary
specialty retail and dining destination and is accessible to all Diamond Bar
residents.
LU-G-23 - Ensure an inviting and comfortable public realm to encourage
pedestrian activity in the Town Center area.
7. In the fall of 2020, The City engaged the Urban Land Institute — Los Angeles
(ULI-LA) to assemble a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to gain a better
understanding of the market possibilities, implementation strategies, and
design framework to consider as an initial step to implement the policies of
the General Plan for the Town Center Focus Area.
8. The TAP convened between April 12 - 16, 2021, where panelists were able
to visit, analyze and present some initial recommendations about the
opportunities for the project area. The TAP presented its findings and
recommendations at a Special Joint Planning Commission/City Council
meeting on April 16, 2021 which was open to the public.. Key
recommendations from the TAP included the following:
An increase in the residential densities over that currently allowed by the_
General Plan 2040 is needed to encourage, new housing options
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affordable at a mix of income levels, and help drive demand for new
restaurants, retail, walkability, and open and gathering spaces in the
Town Center.
• An urban framework with urban -sized blocks, residential density with a
priority on pedestrian movement in and around the focus area is
envisioned to create a successful Town Center environment.
• Deliberate design choices can take advantage of the natural topography
of'the site by creating pedestrian -only plazas and paseos lined with retail
and restaurants to activate the space offering dramatic views of the San
Gabriel mountains.
• Adoption of a Specific Plan would provide the certainty to incentivize
investment and create flexibility to ensure financial feasibility for future
development.
9. In the summer of 2021, ULI-LA published the Diamond Bar Town Center
Technical Assistance Panel Report, which documented the TAP's land use,
design, programming and implementations recommendations for the Town
Center, including the foregoing items.
10. On August 11, 2022, the City Council adopted the City's 2021-2029 General
Plan Housing Element ("2021-2029 Housing Element" or "6t" Cycle Housing
Element"), which was subsequently found by the California Department of
Housing and Community Development (HCD) to be in full compliance with
State Housing Element Law (Article 10.6 of the Gov. Code) on October 5,
2022. The 2021-2029 Housing Element identifies sites to accommodate the
City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 2,516 residential units,
including through rezoning of underutilized sites in the Town Center Mixed -
Use, Neighborhood Mixed -Use, Transit Oriented Mixed -Use focus areas to
allow residential development at a minimum density of 20 dwelling units per
acre and a maximum density of at least 30 dwelling units per acre;
11. In conjunction with adoption of the 2021-2029 Housing Element, the City,
as lead agency, evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the
Housing Element in .an addendum to the EIR, and the City Council adopted
the addendum on August 11, 2022.
12. In July 2022, the City initiated preparation of the Town Center Specific Plan
("TCSP") to implement the vision, goals and policies set forth in the General
Plan, as well as the recommended land use strategies published ULI-LA
TAP Report. A fiscal impact analysis was prepared among the various
technical reports and studies prepared following the kick-off of the TCSP,
which recommended a residential buildout of 2,055 dwellings units in the
Town Center.
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13. On January 27, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2025-04
approving an amendment to the Land Use Element of the General Plan to
establish a minimum residential density of 20 dwelling units per acre and a
maximum residential density of 30 dwelling units per acre on sites within the
Town Center Mixed -Use and Neighborhood Mixed -Use Land Use
Designations, as required under Program H-8 of the 2021-2029 Housing
Element.
14. On February 4, 2025, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 01 (2025),
establishing the housing element site (H) overlay district to provide
development and land use regulations for the development of multifamily
dwellings on specified sites identified in the City of Diamond Bar 2021-2029
Housing Element to accommodate the City's RHNA requirements. The
Zoning Map was concurrently amended to apply the H overlay district
designation to those parcels with a General Plan land use designation of
Town Center Mixed -Use, Neighborhood Mixed -Use, and Transit -Oriented
Mixed -Use. The H overlay district establishes a maximum residential
density of 30 dwelling units per acre. Because the H overlay district
implements the densities established in the General Plan Land Use Element
and required by the 2021-2029 Housing Element for the Town Center
Mixed -Use, Neighborhood Mixed -Use, Transit Oriented Mixed -Use focus
areas, the City Council determined that the rezoning of the specified sites
would not result in any new significant impacts or a substantial increase in
the severity of previously identified significant impacts; therefore, no further
environmental analysis was required. (Public Resources Code § 21166;
CEQA Guidelines §§ 15168, 15162.)
15. Public engagement played a significant role in developing the vision,
guiding principles and regulatory framework for the TCSP. More than 600
individuals subscribed to the dedicated TCSP website
(www.downtown4db.com). Between July 2022 and June 2023, the City
hosted two well -attended community workshops, a weeklong design
charrette, interviews with most of the property owners within the TCSP
Planning Area, and two joint City Council/Planning Commission study
sessions.
16. Because the TCSP contemplates a buildout of more than 2,000 dwelling
units in the Town Center, or approximately 700 more dwelling units than
what the base density of 30 dwelling units per acre, the City determined that
the appropriate environmental document for the TCSP would be a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Report ("SIR") to the certified General
Plan and CAP Program EIR ("Certified EIR"), as addended on August 11,
2022 with adoption of the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update.
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17. On January 21, 2026, notification of the City Council public hearing for the
TCSP was published in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Notices were
mailed to property owners within a 1000-foot radius of the TCSP Planning
Area, inclusive of the Planning Area, and notices were posted at the City's
designated community posting sites.
18. The TCSP will establish a regulatory framework to guide the transformation
of the Town Center from the existing suburban -style retail shopping centers
into a pedestrian -oriented downtown, providing housing opportunities, retail,
restaurants, and entertainment uses within the City of Diamond Bar.
Implementation of the TCSP is anticipated to result in the development of
up to 2,055 housing units (an increase of 705 units); 200 hotel rooms (an
increase of 103 rooms); 40,000 square feet of public open space (an
increase of 40,000 square feet); and 446,000 square feet of commercial
space (a net decrease of 64,000 square feet), including retail, dining, and
entertainment uses, as compared to development anticipated for the area
under the General Plan, as amended by the 2021-2029 Housing Element.
This proposed increase in density is consistent with the major conclusions
TAP report, which found that higher residential densities are appropriate for
achieving a viable, mixed -use Town Center. Supporting infrastructure and
development standards will be implemented through the TCSP and
associated entitlements.
19. Approval of the TCSP requires City Council adoption of concurrent
legislative actions, including a General Plan amendment, as well as;
ordinances to amend the Official Zoning Map, Title 22 of the Diamond Bar
City Code ("Development Code") and to establish the TCSP as the
regulatory document governing the Town Center. These actions would
revise the General Plan criteria and the zoning designation applicable to the
Planning Area as necessary to ensure consistency with, and implementation
of, the TCSP's framework, including maximum residential density and
permitted uses.
20. Upon approval of the concurrent General Plan Amendment, the TCSP will
be consistent with the General Plan, as required by Government Code
Section 65454. The TCSP implements the General Plan's goals, policies,
and land use framework applicable to the Town Center Mixed -Use Focus
Area land use designation, and provides regulatory standards and
development guidance that further the General Plan's vision for orderly,
compatible, and well -planned development. The TCSP is also consistent
with the General Plan Housing Element, specifically Programs H-8 and H-
9.
21. The TCSP also complies with Government Code Section 65451 by including
a statement of land uses, circulation and infrastructure provisions,
development standards, and implementation measures within its chapters.
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22. The proposed General Plan Amendment would amend the Land Use and
Economic Development Element to ensure consistency between it and the
TCSP by specifying that the Town Center Mixed Use Land Use designation
is implemented by the TCSP and project density may be increased over the
maximum base residential density of 30.0 dwelling units per acre in certain
circumstances only through application of either the State Density Bonus
Law or the TCSP Inclusionary Incentive Program Standards described in
the TCSP, or through density transfers as permitted in the TCSP. The
proposed Amendment is internally consistent with other General Plan
elements and other adopted goals and policies of the City, including the
Housing Element, which expressly contemplates the implementation of a
specific plan for mixed -use development in the Town Center focus area and
encourages incentives like those included in the TCSP to encourage and
facilitate redevelopment in the Town Center.
23. The proposed Development Code Amendment would establish a new Town
Center Specific Plan zoning district that implements the TCSP and would
incorporate the TCSP into the Development Code by reference. These
provisions are proposed to be set forth in a new chapter 11.22 of the
Development Code entitled "Mixed Use Zoning Districts." The proposed
Zoning Map Amendment would rezone all properties within the Town Center
Mixed. Use General Plan land use designation to the new Town Center
Specific Plan (TCSP) District. These Amendments are likewise internally
consistent with the General Plan, the TCSP, and other adopted goals and
policies of the City.
24. The TCSP, proposed General Plan Amendment, proposed Development
Code Amendment, and proposed Zoning Map Amendment are collectively
referred to herein as the "Project."
25. On January 21, 2026, notification of the Planning Commission public
hearing for the Project, including all related legislative actions, was
published in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Public hearing notices were
mailed to property owners within a 1000-foot radius of the TCSP Planning
Area, inclusive of the Planning Area, and notices were posted at the City's
designated community posting sites.
26. On February 10, 2026, the Planning Commission of the City of Diamond
Bar conducted a duly noticed public hearing regarding the Project, solicited
testimony from all interested individuals, and concluded said hearing on that
date.
27. Concurrently with adoption of this Resolution, the Planning Commission
adopted a Resolution recommending that the City Council certify the Final
SIR for the Project to be complete and adequate; find that the Final SIR
reflects the independent judgment of the City Council; adopt the Statement
of Overriding Considerations; and adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and
Reporting Program.
28. All legal prerequisites to the adoption of this resolution have occurred.
29. The documents and materials constituting the administrative record of the
proceedings upon which the City's decision is based are located at the City
of Diamond Bar, Community Development Department, Planning Division,
21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765.
B. RESOLUTION
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby found, determined and resolved by the Planning
Commission of the City of Diamond Bar, as follows:
That all of the facts set forth in the Recitals, Part A, of this Resolution are
true and correct.
2. Based on the findings and conclusions set forth above, the Planning
Commission hereby recommends that the City Council (A) adopt the Town
Center Specific Plan in substantially the same form as attached hereto as
Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by reference; (B) adopt amendments to
the General Plan 2040 Land Use and Economic Development Element
attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by reference; and
(C) adopt a text amendment to Title 22 (Development Code) of the Diamond
Bar City Code to add new Chapter 22.11 entitled "Mixed -Use Zoning
Districts," to read in its entirety as set forth in Exhibit "C" attached hereto
and incorporated herein by reference; and (D) adopt an amendment to the
Official Zoning Map of the City of Diamond Bar to rezone the all properties
within the Town Center Mixed Use General Plan Land Use designation to
the Town Center Specific Plan (TCSP) District and to denote the Town
Center Specific Plan (TCSP) District for the applicable properties as shown
in Exhibit "D" attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
3.
The Planning Commission Secretary shall:
(a) Certify as to the adoption of this Resolution; and
(b) Forthwith transmit a certified copy of this Resolution to the City
Council of the City of Diamond Bar.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 10th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2026, BY THE
PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR.
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By:
Ru en rres, Acting Chairperson
I, Greg--Gubman, Planning Commission Secretary, do hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution was duly introduced, passed, and adopted, at a special meeting of the
Planning Commission held on the 10th day of February 2026, by the following vote:
AYES: 3 Comm issionersMao, Mehta, Torres
NOES: 0 Comm issionersNone
ABSENT2 Commissioners Rawlings, Worthington
ABSTAINS Commissioners None
ATTEST:
Greg Gubman, Secretary
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EXHIBIT "A"
Diamond Bar Town Center Specific Plan
Public Hearing Draft
Provided under separate cover due to document size. The
full document has been provided to the City Council.
Also available at www.downtown4db.com
Exhibit "B"
AMENDMENTS TO THE GENERAL PLAN 2040 LAND
USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT
Revisions to the following passages of the General Plan 2040 Land Use and Economic
Development Element are highlighted with strikethFaug-h text to show deletions, and
double underline text to show additions.
The description of the Town Center Mixed Use on Page 2-12 of the section entitled
Land Use Classifications is revised as follows:
Town Center Mixed Use
Allows and encourages a mix of uses with an emphasis on community -
serving and destination retail, dining, and entertainment uses. Offices and
professional services, and residential uses are also permitted. The Town Center
Mixed Use Land Use designation is implemented by the Town Center Specific Plan
("TCSP"). Maximum FAR for non-residential uses is 1.5 and a residential density
of 20.0 to 30.0 dwelling units per acre (20.0 - 30.0 du/ac) is permitted. Project
density may be increased over the maximum base residential density of 30.0
dwelling units per acre in certain circumstances only through application of either
the State Density Bonus Law or the TCSP Inclusionary Incentive Program Standards
described in the TCSP, or through density transfers as permitted in the TCSP.
2. Page 2-16, Table 2-2 is revised as follows
Table 2-2: Land Use Density/Intensity Standards Summary Table
Langd - D- - . .
Planning
• -.
. ••
Town Center Mixed Use Min. 20.0/Max 30.0 Up to 1.5 45 <1
Neighborhood Mixed Use Min. 20.0/Max 30.0 Up to 1.25 38 <1
Transit -Oriented Mixed Use Min. 20.0/Max 30.0 Up to 1.5 33 <1
Note: In the Town Center Mixed Use land use desianation, project density may be
increased over the maximum base residential density of 30.0 dwelling units per acre in
certain circumstances only through application of ether the State Density Bonus Law or the
TCSP Inclusionary Incentive Program Standards described in the TCSP, or throuah density
transfers as permitted in the TCSP.
Exhibit "C"
Proposed Development Code Text Amendment
Add New Chapter 22.11 to the City of Diamond Bar City Code to Read in its
entirety as follows:
"CHAPTER 22.11 — MIXED -USE ZONING DISTRICTS
Sec. 22.11.010. — Purpose of chapter.
This chapter provides regulations for development and new land uses in the mixed -
use zoning districts established by section 22.11.020.
Sec. 22.11.020. — Purpose of mixed -use zoning districts.
The purposes of the individual mixed -use zoning districts and the manner in which
they are applied are as follows:
(1) TCSP (town center specific plan) district. The TCSP district implements the
"Town Center Specific Plan" and is consistent with the town center mixed use
land use category of the general plan.
Sec. 22.11.030. — Mixed -use zoning district land uses, permit requirements, and
development standards.
(1) TCSP (town center specific plan) district. All development within the town
center specific plan district shall be subject to the Town Center Specific Plan,
as it may be amended from time to time. The Town Center Specific Plan is
on file with the City Clerk and is incorporated herein by reference.
Sec. 22.11.040. — Special provisions applicable to lower -income sites within
mixed -use zoning districts.
(1) TCSP (town center specific plan) district. In accordance with subdivision (h)
of Government Code Section 65583.2, the following additional regulations
shall apply to each site within the town center specific plan district identified in
Table B-3 of Appendix B to the City of Diamond Bar 2021-2029 General Plan
Housing Element to accommodate the City's low- or very low-income housing
needs: (a) at least sixteen (16) dwelling units may be developed on the site;
(b) 100% of the uses on the site may be residential; (c) residential uses shall
occupy at least 50 percent of the total gross floor area of any new
development on the site; (c) for developments in which 20 percent or more of
the units are affordable to lower income households, multifamily dwellings
shall be considered a use by right and shall be reviewed ministerially
(2) pursuant to section 22.18.040(f)."
FA
Exhibit "D"
Proposed Zoning Map Amendment
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