Longstanding downtown dojo faces displacement as Corona advances mall redevelopment

All American Karate School, a martial-arts studio that has operated in downtown Corona for more than 40 years, told the City Council it received formal notice that its leased space at the North Mall must be vacated by Oct. 13, and dozens of parents, students and alumni urged the council to help the school stay in Corona.

The schoolowners, Nicole Lipari Romero (co-owner of All American Karate School) and Michael Romero (co-owner), said the announced demolition and redevelopment of the North Mall left them with weeks to find a new site despite having run programs for generations of Corona children.

The schoolhas been cited repeatedly by parents and community members at the meeting for its role in providing affordable youth programming, leadership training and consistent weekday foot traffic that local businesses rely on. Ridley Romero, a longtime student and instructor, told the council the dojo is a "second family" to students across age groups and abilities.

Why it matters: Commenters said losing All American Karate School would displace hundreds of regular attendees and erode a source of after-school supervision, mentoring and local business traffic at a moment the city is attempting to revitalize downtown.

What city staff told the council: Joel (economic development director) and Jacob Ellis (city manager) outlined steps staff have taken to help the studio relocate and to soften financial impacts. Staff said they had provided the owners with a running list of available sites (22 locations transmitted since April), arranged meetings with county economic development partners, and offered a relocation benefit package that includes reimbursement and payments the state relocation rules require when government-owned property displaces a business.

Joel told the council the city would buy interior improvements the business cannot move (he identified about $74,000 in on-site improvements), reimburse for movable fixtures (about $11,000), provide up to $10,000 for reestablishment costs and had waived roughly $17,500 in rent to reduce near-term impacts. Staff said those payments total about $112,000 in direct value being offered under the relocation process. Staff also said they were prepared to continue assistance after the Oct. 13 move date.

What owners and commenters said: Michael Romero and many parents said the offers were late or unclear, and that multiple months passed without consistent contact from city staff. Several parents, former students and community leaders said they had repeatedly requested a concrete plan and asked the council either to secure temporary space (for example, community buildings or the recreation center) or extend the move-out deadline while a permanent solution was found.

Council and staff reaction: Council members acknowledged frustration in the community and asked staff to accelerate outreach. Councilmember Chris McCoy urged the city manager to find short-term space and, if necessary, approve an extension so the school could continue uninterrupted. Joel reiterated staffhad been sharing listings and that relocation benefit payments would be public and documented.

Next steps: City staff said they will continue site searches, keep providing listings and process relocation payments per state relocation rules for government projects. Several council members asked staff to prioritize solutions that would allow the studio to operate in or near downtown during and after redevelopment.

Taper: Multiple residents said they would return to council if the city could not deliver a practical relocation plan or a short-term venue for classes.