Commission recommends code changes to regulate donation drop boxes; exempts religious and nonprofit on-site boxes

The West Covina Planning Commission on April 22 recommended citywide revisions to the zoning code governing outdoor donation drop boxes and forwarded the recommendation to the City Council.

Planning staff summarized a package, returned by council for study, that would (a) exempt donation drop boxes placed and operated by a nonprofit or religious facility on the property where they operate, on the grounds that those sites have routine maintenance; (b) clarify the definition so that donation drop boxes located inside a building are excluded from the outdoor-drop-box rules; and (c) add a requirement that graffiti-resistant coatings be applied to approved outdoor donation drop boxes to assist in deterrence and maintenance.

Staff said the selected option reflected City Council direction and staff—s view that boxes maintained by onsite nonprofit or religious organizations are less likely to become abandoned or unsanitary than unmonitored off-site boxes. Commissioners discussed the recommendation briefly, heard no public testimony against the changes and voted to adopt staff—s recommendation as Resolution No. 14-5611. The motion passed 4-0.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final adoption; as a zoning code amendment staff recommended it be treated as exempt from CEQA per the same categorical exemption standard cited elsewhere in the packet.