Corona council approves Skyline Heights specific plan after securing added open‑space dedication

The Corona City Council on Wednesday approved an addendum to the Skyline Heights environmental impact report and adopted a specific plan for the Skyline Heights development, which reduces the previously approved unit count and adds public parks, trail connectivity and preserved open space.

Danny Castro, interim planning and development director, told the council the revised project reduces the prior approval to 276 units and includes a mix of condominium and single‑family units, preserves roughly 122 acres of open space and adds about 9.25 acres of public parks and trail improvements. The staff presentation listed public benefits including trail realignment, new trail heads with wayfinding and amenities, and infrastructure upgrades including additional water storage and a heli hydrant for aerial firefighting support.

“The revised project does reduce the daily number of vehicle trips to 2,604 trips,” Castro said, summarizing one of the environmental outcomes of the reduced unit count.

Developer Brian Hardy said the team held extensive outreach with neighbors, trail users and commissions over several years and reworked the design to remove gates, add public parkland and preserve trail access.

“We redid a lot addressing those items... We eliminated the gates. We added a 9 and a quarter acre park,” Hardy said, adding that the developer had agreed to dedicate certain open‑space areas to the city to preserve trails in perpetuity.

Members of the public who use local trails and neighborhood residents generally praised the revised plan but asked that maintenance of fuel‑modification zones and other long‑term upkeep not fall to city taxpayers. Council members pressed for clear commitments on which parcels would be dedicated and how fuel‑mod and maintenance responsibilities would be funded.

Councilmember Daddario offered an amended motion to approve staff recommendations A–D and to add a condition (letter E) requiring dedication of the light‑blue 43 acres on the project map to the city as a condition of approval. The motion was seconded and carried on a 5‑0 vote; the city also completed the first reading by title of Ordinance No. 3429 related to the specific plan.

Council members thanked staff, the citizen committee and the developer for years of outreach and noted additional actions—such as a future community facilities district (CFD) for maintenance—would return to council for separate approvals. The council record shows the approval included an addendum to the certified EIR and the tentative tract map revisions; final infrastructure and financing details, including any CFD, will be handled in subsequent proceedings.

The vote was unanimous; the project moves forward subject to the council’s conditions.