Councilmembers heard a lengthy staff presentation on amortization — a zoning tool that sets a predictable timeline for phasing out nonconforming uses — and an intense public response from business owners, employees and longtime residents who warned that an amortization policy would threaten multi‑generation livelihoods along the 6th Street corridor.

Planning staff described amortization as one option to help the downtown evolve by phasing out targeted nonconforming uses over time, noting the tool’s prior uses in other California cities for narrowly defined problems. Staff emphasized that an amortization program requires a case‑by‑case analysis, administrative appeals, protections and potential buyout mechanisms.

Business owners and property owners, including several who said their families had run automotive and related businesses for decades, urged the council not to pursue immediate amortization. Speakers said the corridor is a functioning service economy, raised concerns about relocation feasibility for single‑use buildings (e.g., lifts, heavy equipment), and cited the mental‑health and financial impacts of a threatened deadline. Harvey Van Egman (Harvey's Auto Tech), Paul Angulo (Bear Complete Car Care), and many others asked the council to abandon the idea or to at least engage the downtown community before any ordinance drafting.

After public comment, the council debated whether to direct staff to explore amortization or to pause. The council voted unanimously to pause consideration and to form a six‑month ad hoc working group with the Corona Chamber of Commerce and downtown business representatives to develop options for revitalization, façade and code‑enforcement tools, and potential incentives. The motion also directed staff to map a workflow for outreach, to study tools beyond amortization, and to return with recommendations to ensure business engagement in future steps.

Next steps: Staff will coordinate an ad hoc working group that includes downtown business owners, the Chamber, and council liaisons; staff will produce a roadmap for outreach and identify alternative tools and timelines for potential future action. The pause and ad hoc direction passed unanimously.