Council approves 2025 general plan update and certifies subsequent EIR amid resident concerns over housing sites

The Chino Hills City Council voted 5‑0 on June 10 to certify a subsequent program environmental impact report and adopt the 2025 general plan update, related development‑code amendments and new zoning intended to implement the city’s sixth cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).

Community Development Director Nick Liguori and Planning Manager Michael Hofflinger told the council the update implements the city’s 2022 housing element and identifies sites to accommodate approximately 3,700 units allocated by Southern California Association of Governments. Hofflinger said roughly 2,209 of those units were assigned in the lower‑income categories that state law assumes must be allowed at higher densities; he emphasized that the city’s zoning choices attempt to balance state requirements with preserving existing neighborhoods.

Hofflinger said the draft subsequent program EIR reaches the same conclusions the city found in 2015: operational air‑quality impacts and transportation impacts are unavoidable and require overriding considerations. "Using this metric [VMT], looking at the 11 RHNA sites, only four of them screen out," Hofflinger said, describing how the state's vehicle‑miles‑traveled rules affect suburban communities like Chino Hills.

The public hearing drew residents who live near several proposed sites, including Bayberry/Woodview and the Western Hills golf course. Speakers raised concerns about traffic, creek runoff and erosion, wildlife, proximity to utility corridors, fire risk and how project‑level impacts would be mitigated. Eric Roseberry, a Bayberry resident, said longtime neighborhood traffic and speeding make additional housing at the rear of properties a safety concern. "We have a lot of accidents, car accidents... You can't walk back there anymore," Roseberry said. Other residents cited potential erosion into Woodview Creek, loss of habitat for birds and frogs, and the technical challenges of building on steep slopes.

City staff responded that the council's action changes land‑use designations and zoning but does not authorize construction; any future development proposals will undergo project‑level environmental review and public notice. Hofflinger said site‑specific approvals will require additional CEQA analysis when developers submit applications and that the city's objective design standards and development‑plan review process are intended to address design, traffic, drainage and fire‑safety issues.

On the EIR, staff said the city received nine comment letters during the 45‑day public review period and addressed technical comments in the final EIR. The final EIR and staff presentation note that air quality and transportation remain areas where mitigation cannot reduce impacts below significance thresholds and therefore require overriding considerations tied to the benefits of accommodating housing.

After public comment and discussion, Council Member Moran moved to adopt the resolutions and ordinances listed in the agenda packet to approve the general plan update and certify the final subsequent program EIR; Mayor Bennett seconded the motion. The motion passed 5‑0.

Planning staff said implementation next steps include mapping and zoning ordinance updates, adoption of objective design standards for multifamily and mixed‑use development, and project‑level environmental review and community outreach when applications come forward.