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Council approves zoning change to allow religious facilities up to 10,000 sq ft in M4 industrial zone
Summary
On first reading the council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 3428 (ZTA 2026-00002) to permit religious facilities up to 10,000 square feet as a conditionally permitted use in the M4 industrial park zone and to update Title 17 terminology from 'church' to 'religious facilities.'
The Corona City Council on Tuesday introduced and approved, on its first reading, an ordinance amending Title 17 of the Corona Municipal Code to allow religious facilities up to 10,000 square feet as a conditionally permitted use within the M4 industrial park zone.
The measure (ZTA 2026-00002, Ordinance No. 3428) replaces the term “church” with “religious facilities” across affected code sections and establishes the M4 zone allowance as a conditional use. Council members voted to introduce the ordinance by title only and waive full reading; the motion passed unanimously.
Bruce Roman, president of Congregation Beth Shalom, told the council his congregation had worked with the planning committee and supported the text amendment; he said the planning commission had recommended the change. “We had several meetings with them and brought forward the zone text amendment that was recommended to allow us to move into an M4 zone,” Roman said.
Mark Fogle, a member of the congregation, said rising rent forced the move: “Our current landlord has raised the rent 30%…we only have 45 families in our synagogue and we’re just looking to find a home that’s more permanent.”
Opposition and concern were limited but vocal. Joe Morgan, a resident, criticized what he described as overly complex zoning requirements and questioned why similar uses (his example: dispensaries) could follow a different regulatory route. “If our rules don’t allow obvious uses like this in this spot…why are we subjecting businesses to this kind of nonsense?” Morgan said.
Why it matters: The amendment changes where religious organizations can locate and updates municipal language to reflect broader facility types; making religious facilities a conditionally permitted use in M4 gives planning staff and the planning commission discretion to impose compatibility conditions while enabling congregations to pursue industrial properties when appropriate.
Next steps: The ordinance was introduced and approved on first reading; council will schedule subsequent readings and formal adoption steps as required by municipal procedure.
