Corona city speakers presented a multi-part plan to revitalize the downtown core, saying 2025 will be a turning point for projects including a pedestrian-focused 6th Street, redevelopment of the North and South malls, and incentives for new restaurants and small businesses.

"The downtown area has not received a whole lot of love in a long, long time," Speaker 1 said, framing the overhaul as a long-awaited reinvestment. Speaker 9 described the 6th Street transformation as "to create not just a street corridor for vehicles, but really a pedestrian friendly environment," adding the corridor concept is "solidified" and that a new supermarket is planned to round out a key corner.

Speakers said the city has identified nine downtown project areas that include street paving, center medians with trees and other amenities intended to make the corridor walkable and attractive to businesses. Multiple speakers pointed to recent openings — Claro's and Circle City Tavern among them — and the arrival of boutique food and entertainment venues as proof of demand.

On the North Mall, Speaker 5 and Speaker 9 said the city is pursuing consolidation of property ownership and the council may act to ensure a mixed-use redevelopment with residential, retail, entertainment and parking. The stated aim is to "recreate what Main Street was" and provide a destination that draws residents and hospital employees from the nearby Corona Regional Medical Center.

City leaders repeatedly framed the projects as resident-driven, citing public outreach reflected in the parks and downtown planning; no formal funding breakdowns or construction schedules beyond broad timelines were provided in the update. Speakers described projects as moving from idea to plan to implementation, but did not announce final construction start dates for every element.

The update closed with city officials reiterating a focus on walkability, small-business support and connecting major nodes of downtown through coordinated streetscape and private investment.

The city did not present formal votes or adopt ordinances during this update; next procedural steps described included continued outreach, property consolidation efforts for the North Mall and expected construction kickoff windows for select projects.