Upland council approves Via Serena specific plan and certifies EIR for 65‑home project

The Upland City Council on June 9 approved the Via Serena specific plan, authorizing a general plan amendment, zone change, the specific plan itself, and a tentative tract map and development plan that will allow construction of 65 single‑family homes on about 9.2 acres in the Fifteenth Street basin area.

The council certified a final environmental impact report (EIR) prepared after a 2020 court challenge set aside an earlier mitigated negative declaration. The EIR concluded mitigation measures and monitoring can reduce biological, noise and water‑quality impacts to less‑than‑significant levels and includes a habitat mitigation and monitoring plan (HMMP) for wetlands and riparian planting on the project’s eastern conservation area.

City planning staff said the project will: reconfigure the existing basin to provide flood control and additional pollutant detention; extend Fifteenth Street into the development as a gated, primary access; create an HOA‑maintained park and four pocket parks; and provide a trail and public open‑space loop adjacent to the basin. Homes will range roughly from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet, with three to five bedrooms and two‑car garages. The developer proposes 12 common lots for open space and infrastructure and an HOA to maintain on‑site improvements.

Why this matters: The site was previously the subject of litigation that required further environmental study. Neighbors raised concerns at the public hearing about potential loss of wetlands, whether the revised basin would provide equivalent groundwater recharge and pollution control, impacts to views and privacy for existing backyards, increased traffic and the adequacy of public notice. Regional and state agencies submitted technical comments during the EIR circulation; the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board reviewed the basin redesign and informed the city it had no outstanding objections after additional design information was provided.

Key technical and mitigation points - Biology: The EIR requires pre‑grading biological surveys (burrowing owl, nesting birds and other special‑status species) and an HMMP. The HMMP as proposed includes wetland planting and monitoring and allows either on‑site restoration of about 1.2 acres of mule‑fat scrub plus 0.3 acres of palustrine wetland or purchase of mitigation credits; the EIR and staff reports note that the city and state resource agencies will review and approve final HMMP details and long‑term funding and monitoring plans. City staff and the applicant said they have been working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) on a streambed alteration agreement. - Water quality and basin redesign: The developer will deepen a portion of the basin to increase detention and pollutant removal capacity (staff cited an increase in detention time and dead storage in technical responses). The Regional Water Quality Control Board commented during review and later confirmed its technical concerns were resolved after additional design and pollution‑control information was provided. - Noise and construction: The EIR contains construction‑period mitigation measures (hours limits, fencing, and monitoring) and pre‑construction surveys for species that could be affected by grading. - Traffic/parking: The plan adds an extension of Fifteenth Street as the gated primary access; a secondary egress point is limited and intended primarily for emergency vehicle access. Staff said traffic studies did not identify intersection operations below city thresholds; the plan includes driveway and driveway parking for each home plus on‑street spaces internal to the subdivision.

What residents said: Residents living immediately south of the site told the council they were not included early enough, said the project would block mountain views and reduce privacy because proposed two‑story homes would face existing backyards, and asked whether alternatives — reorienting the rear eight lots or requiring single‑story homes adjacent to the existing houses — had been explored. Others urged the city to ensure the conservation area is permanently protected, adequately funded for long‑term management and monitored to prevent weed invasion.

City and applicant responses: Planning staff and the applicant said multiple biological surveys were completed in 2022–2024 and additional focused pre‑construction surveys will be required. The applicant’s project team said they have provided the draft HMMP to agencies for review and agreed more detail on long‑term management and funding will be finalized before grading. The applicant and staff also said the basin redesign increases detention time and pollutant removal capacity compared with the existing condition.

Council action and votes: The council took five separate actions required under CEQA and local land‑use law — certifying the EIR, approving a general plan amendment, approving a zone change ordinance, adopting the Via Serena specific plan, and approving the tentative tract map and development plan. Each action was moved and seconded during the meeting and passed unanimously by the council members present (one council member absent at the vote). The council adopted conditions of approval that add or clarify landscape selections and require staff review of the HMMP, monitoring, and related funding mechanisms.

Next steps: The developer must finalize the HMMP and required agency permits (including the CDFW streambed alteration agreement) and secure construction and grading permits. The project includes standard pre‑construction species surveys; if special‑status wildlife or aquatic resources are found during those surveys, the EIR’s mitigation measures require additional steps before work can proceed.

Ending: The council’s approval moves a long‑running, litigated project toward construction; residents and agencies will continue to review and monitor implementation of mitigation measures as grading and construction permits are processed.