Historic board continues City Park revitalization after residents warn ‘progress will kill history’

The Corona Historic Preservation Board on Tuesday opened a public hearing on the City Park revitalization project, heard several residents press staff for more study of historic trees and cultural elements, and voted to continue the item to a date certain—July 27, 2026—so staff can address the concerns.

City staff, led by Community Services Director Donna Finch and Associate Planner Bridal Daldy, asked the board to approve alterations to City Park (Historic District HD-005) and adopt a General Plan EIR addendum for the proposed redevelopment at 930 East 6th Street. Finch said outreach for the master plan included more than 2,100 resident responses and that the design retains four named historic artifacts and adds park amenities including a community center, aquatic center, playgrounds, multi-use fields, walking trails, picnic shelters, a splash pad and more.

Daldy told the board the park was designated a historic district in 2001 and that staff’s environmental review concluded the changes would not produce significant unmitigated impacts under SEQUA/CEQA. He said the design preserves the park’s historic fig tree and identifies roughly 46 trees to remain in place and about 59 trees to be relocated, and that the project proposes planting approximately 200–205 new trees.

Public commenters called for more careful preservation work. Fred Parr, secretary of the Corona Historic Preservation Society, urged the board to table the item, saying he found errors in the CEQA addendum and that the plan amounts to a "complete redo" rather than a revitalization. "There’s not much left historic," Parr said, urging an on-site walk and arborist analysis before approval.

Rory Connell, a lifelong Corona resident and business owner, warned the project could be overbuilt and fiscally unsustainable, saying it risked putting the city into "massive debt." Chris McCoy, another resident, urged the board to protect cultural history and cited the municipal plunge’s desegregation story as one example of history he said staff omitted from the report.

Board members asked staff whether the board could recommend adding historical markers; staff said it could forward a recommendation to council and that adding plaques or informational signage would be a relatively minor cost and scope change to be considered at project award. Staff also said some indoor amenities (gymnasium, fitness areas) may be pay-for-use while most outdoor park facilities (splash pad, playgrounds, sports courts) would remain free and that scholarships would continue to be available for classes.

After discussion, a motion to adopt staff recommendations with an amendment requiring plaques failed (1–3–1). The board instead voted to continue the item to July 27, 2026 so staff could return with more detail on requested items—tree-by-tree preservation/relocation specifics, arborist findings, the CEQA addendum clarifications, and a cost estimate for historical markers.

The hearing record includes written correspondence from the Corona Historic Preservation Society asking the board to table the item; staff said the society was consulted on January 4, 2024 and that the project team had held multiple stakeholder meetings.

The board did not take a final action to approve the project; the continuation preserves the board’s discretion to add conditions or recommendations for the city council’s later consideration.

The board is scheduled to revisit the City Park revitalization on July 27, 2026.