PARKS
AND RECREATION
MASTER
PLAN
CITY OF CORONA
ADOPTED FEBRUARY 7, 2024
PARKS
AND RECREATION
MASTER
PLAN
CITY OF CORONA
DRAFT
2024
INTRODUCTION
1 OUR COMMUNITY 11
COMMUNITY NEEDS 23
GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 53
PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 77
APPENDIX Under Separate Cover
CONTENTS PARKS
AND RECREATION
MASTER
PLAN
CITY OF CORONA
City of Corona
City Council
Jacque Casillas
Councilmember
[District 1]
Tony Daddario
Councilmember
[District 2]
Tom Richins
Councilmember
[District 3]
Wes Speake
Councilmember
[District 4]
Jim Steiner
Councilmember
[District 5]
Consultant Team
Parks and Recreation
Commission
Stacie Bass
Commissioner
Tomas Munoz
Commissioner
Matt Olsen
Commissioner
Michele Wentworth
Commissioner
Amie Kinne
Commissioner
City Staff
Jacob Ellis
City Manager
Justin Tucker
Assistant City Manager
Donna Finch
Acting Community
Services Director
Moses Cortez
Facilities, Parks, and Trails
Manager
Jason Lass
Recreation Services
Manager
Caroline Bustos
Park Planner
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to our stakeholders and community members who participated in the planning process.
1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, planning process, and document organization.
The City of Corona’s parks and recreation facilities are representative of our safe, vibrant, and family-friendly community and instrumental to the community’s quality of life.
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan
(PRMP) provides a guide for the provision,
improvement, maintenance, and funding of
parks, recreation facilities, and programs in
the City of Corona.
Parks and recreation facilities provide
communal spaces to gather, play, and
relax, creating innumerable benefits for the
community, such as: • Offering active and passive recreational areas where people can be physically
active to reduce stress and improve
health and mental health.
• Providing environmental and health
benefits by reducing air and water
pollution and mitigating urban heat.
• Fostering opportunities to socialize with
neighbors and community members,
sparking unique and meaningful
connections.
• Supporting sports, swimming, outdoor
recreation, indoor programs, community
events, enrichment activities, and
connections to our cultural heritage.
• Providing positive economic benefits
by enhancing property values, local
aesthetics, and quality of life.
Far from being a nice-to-have amenity,
parks and recreation facilities are a crucial
investment in the health and livability, and
prosperity of our community.
The extensive parks and recreation
system – integral to the success, health,
and vibrancy of our city – is managed by
Corona’s Community Services Department.
To best position our community for success,
the Community Services Department stands
ready to lead citywide efforts to implement
this PRMP to support an integrated and
accessible park and recreation system for
residents and visitors to enjoy.
PLAN PURPOSE
Since adoption of the 1989 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the City of Corona has experienced significant shifts in demographics, recreation, development, community health, and economics that have placed complex and growing demands on the City’s park system. Fundamentally, needs have outpaced funding, creating a backlog of deferred maintenance projects and the need to prioritize funding for parks and programs over the next ten years.
Using a community-driven vision to renew park infrastructure and ensure all residents have access to the vital benefits of parks, the 2023 Parks and Recreation Master Plan introduces a planning framework and investment strategy for the enhancement, maintenance, and expansion of parks and recreation facilities in Corona.
3 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION 4
STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
The PRMP investment strategy is built upon standards of excellence that were identified through a robust community engagement process. All residents should have access to parks, green spaces, and recreation opportunities that are:
PLANNING PROCESS
The PRMP was developed in a 1.5-year timeframe
concurrently with the City of Corona Trails Master
Plan and a focused site-specific Master Plan for
City Park. The PRMP’s development was heavily
influenced by community members, stakeholders,
and City leaders who provided feedback
throughout the planning process.
More than 2,300 residents, the Parks and
Recreation Commission, City Council,
partners, stakeholders, and City staff members
shared their insights and comments to help
formulate the 2023 Parks and Recreation
Master Plan. The outreach process included
diverse activities at different times during the
four-phased planning process to ensure that a
wide variety of participants were involved.
• High quality to ensure a high level of excellence that adheres to national and statewide standards;
• Consistent to ensure the same level of service and
experience across the city; and
• Sustainable to ensure that programs, services,
natural resources, and facilities can be sustained in
the short and long term.
An emphasis on access, quality, consistency, and
sustainability guide the provision of park and
recreation services.
The project began with a review of parks, facilities, and programs to evaluate the state of the City’s park and
recreation system.
Insights from the outreach and engagement process
were paired with research on trends, service levels,
and an access analysis to identify Corona’s gaps in park access, key needs, and opportunities.
Drawing from community input and identified needs,
key community goals and objectives establish the vision for the the parks and recreation system of the future.
Recommendations are intended to guide future
investment and implementation, with tools that inform
annual workplans and budgeting
Consistency
Sustainability Quality
State of the System
Needs,
Opportunities and
Standards
Vision
Recommendations
and Plan
Development
Public Engagement, Advisory and Stakeholder
Involvement, and Communication
5 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION 6
PRECEDENT PLANNING
DOCUMENTS
The following plans and studies provided essential background information for the 2023 Parks and Recreation Master Plan and were considered during recommendations development:
The Parks and Facilities Inventory and Assessment was completed in 2020 and consisted of site evaluations for 36 park sites, 7 buildings, and 22 playgrounds within the Corona park system. The report identifies facilities that require repair or replacement because they have reached the end of their useful life and related costs. The report and cost estimates do not include any facility upgrades desired by the community, which would require additional investment.
The PRMP’s planning-level cost estimates (Chapter 5) mirror the replacement cost of individual items provided in the Parks and Facilities Inventory Assessment, supplemented by additional cost estimates that reflect the facility upgrades and new amenities recommended for the system.
The Corona 2020-2040 General Plan, last updated in 2020, serves as a “blueprint” for future planning and development decisions within Corona. The Parks, Recreation, Cultural Arts, and Education Element of the General Plan provides direction for developing and maintaining a comprehensive system of quality facilities, programs, and services. A variety of related plans and regulations implement the element’s goals and policies, including the PRMP.
The PRMP is consistent with the General Plan, taking the General Plan direction and providing additional specificity to guide implementation, as well as a more aggressive target of total parkland in the community.
The 2021-2026 City of Corona Strategic Plan provides six overall goals to guide decision-making and sets a framework of specific, measurable actions and desired outcomes to evaluate the future level of goal achievement. Parks are the foundation of the community and will play a key role in Strategic Plan goal attainment, with the development and adoption of the PRMP identified by the Strategic Plan as a major milestone.
The PRMP vision, goals, and recommendations were developed within the framework provided by the Strategic Plan.
The City developed the first phase of the Trails Master Plan (TMP) in 2021.The TMP seeks to create an environmentally sensitive, inclusive, equitable, and diverse trail network that provides safe and healthy options in accessibility to Corona’s vast network of open space, with a focus on improving non-motorized travel ways throughout the community. The TMP is anticipated for completion in 2024 with a focus on access to trails in the Cleveland National Forest and the Santa Ana River Trail.
The PRMP was developed in close collaboration with the Trails Master Plan. While trails-specific recommendations are focused in TMP, the PRMP includes recommendations regarding undeveloped land located near trails and trailheads to support those recommendations.
The Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP), adopted in 2021, represents the City’s commitment to make Corona green and inviting for all who live and visit here. The UFMP establishes guidelines and procedures for the care and protection of trees to promote the health, safety, welfare, and quality of life for all Corona residents, business owners, and visitors.
The PRMP includes recommendations that are aligned with the UFMP, to support the ongoing maintenance and care of the City’s tree canopy and meet the community’s desire for additional shade.
The City Park Master Plan Phase I, adopted in 2023, provides a vision for the future of City Park that honors its rich history, enhances the connection to the revitalized Downtown, and provides amenities and programming that will bring the community of Corona back to City Park for many generations to come.
The PRMP was developed in conjunction with the City Park Master Plan Phase I, including City Park-specific questions within community engagement, and an understanding of how this important park fits within the larger park system.
The City’s last comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan was completed in 1989 as a companion document to the Parks and Recreation Element of the General Plan.
Much has changed since the 1989 Parks Master Plan was adopted, including the local demographics, popular recreational activities, funding for park maintenance and development, and the philosophy towards parks and outdoor spaces. Today, Corona recognizes the need to proactively plan for the next 10 years to ensure the City is effectively utilizing park spaces and serving the needs of the community, through the 2024 PRMP. 7 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION 8
PLAN ORGANIZATION
This plan is organized with five chapters and eight detailed appendices to provide additional information for plan implementation:
• Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter introduces the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) and the planning process.
• Chapter 2: Our Community. Chapter 2 provides a look at the demographics of the community and summarizes the community engagement process, highlighting the key themes and strategies used to identify community needs and desires.
• Chapter 3: Community Needs. This chapter provides a snapshot of the City, including the current (2023) inventory of parks, facilities, and programs, and identifies key needs. • Chapter 4: Goals and Recommendations. This chapter includes the unifying vision for parks and recreation and identifies the systemwide and site-specific goals and recommendations. • Chapter 5: Priorities and Implementation. A clear investment plan is necessary to identify a realistic approach to achieving goals and recommendations. Chapter 5 summarizes total costs of recommendations and outlines priorities through a 10-Year Action Plan and implementation strategies.
Detailed background information is provided in in
the appendices to the PRMP, which include:
• Appendix A: Park, Facility, and Program
Inventory. This appendix provides a
comprehensive listing of the parks, recreation
facilities, and programs that are currently
provided by the Community Services
Department.
• Appendix B: Park Design and Experience
Observations. In May-July 2022, the City’s
parks were toured to identify site strengths
and opportunities for improvement, especially
pertaining to the user experience. This
appendix summarizes observations from the
park tour.
• Appendix C: Community Engagement
Survey Summaries. Two surveys were
conducted to identify the park and recreation
needs, priorities, and preferences of the Corona
community. The first survey focused on parks
and outdoor recreation facilities, and the
second asked questions regarding recreation
programming and needs for indoor recreation
spaces. The results of the surveys, including
responses to open-ended questions, are
included in Appendix C.
• Appendix D: Design and Development
Guidelines. These guidelines provide direction
for park acquisition, design, development, and
renovation. General systemwide guidelines are
presented first, followed by guidelines for each
park classification.
• Appendix E: Recommendations. This
appendix summarizes all recommended capital
projects that are needed to augment the park
and recreation system, either at specific park
sites or throughout the park system. In addition
to capital projects, it notes the anticipated level
of maintenance needed to sustain parks and
facilities after implementation.
• Appendix F: Financial Sustainability
Strategy. This appendix introduces a new
Financial Sustainability Strategy to guide the
cost recovery rates for all recreation programs
and services. Created through a series of
work sessions with Community Services
Department staff and the Parks and Recreation
Commission, the strategy defines the baseline
measurement of the cost of providing services,
recommendations for the appropriate levels of
service subsidies, and a new fee philosophy.
• Appendix G: Programs and Facilities
Analysis. This appendix includes an evaluation
of the City’s recreation programs and activities,
identifying gaps in service and opportunities to
better utilize existing facilities and enhance the
provision of programs in Corona.
• Appendix I: Costs. This appendix introduces
the planning-level cost estimates associated
with PRMP recommendations for existing parks
and potential future park sites. It explains how
capital and operations costs were calculated for
the PRMP.
INVEST
ENHANCE
MAINTAIN
EXPAND
9 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION 10 2 OUR COMMUNITY
This chapter includes background and context about the community of Corona and the park priorities identified through the community engagement process.
The input of diverse residents and stakeholders from across the City ensures that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan reflects community needs.
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
By 1913, Corona shipped more fruit that any other town in Southern California. In 1961, citrus was still considered the backbone of Corona’s economy, and the largest source of revenue. In that year, citrus covered 7,500 acres. —Corona Historic Preservation Society
1 City of Corona 2020-2040 General Plan Environmental Impact Report.
Figure 2-1: Racial Diversity
CORONA’S POPULATION
Corona has a diverse population that is passionate about their community and the community’s well-being.
Total Population
In 2020, with a population of 157,136 residents, Corona is the third most populous city in Riverside County. Since 1990, the City’s total population has more than doubled, and it continues to grow. The City is projected to reach a population of approximately 166,833 people by 2033.1
This
growth will increase demands on parks and facilities and will likely increase use and maintenance needs.
Age
More than a quarter (29 percent) of Corona’s population are youth under the age of 19. At the same time, the
65+ year-old population is increasing. Based on the age composition of the community, parks and facilities will need to accommodate both a large youth population as well as aging residents, ensuring inclusivity across all ages.
Racial Diversity
The City of Corona is truly diverse, with more than twothirds of the population identifying as nonwhite, and nearly half (48 percent) of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino. This diversity should be reflected in the look and feel of parks and facilities, as well as in the variety of events and programs offered to ensure that these reflect local communities.
Language
Nearly half (49 percent) of Corona residents speak a
language other than English, with Spanish, Asian, and Pacific Island languages being the most common. Wayfinding,
signage, programming, promotional materials, and
communications should acknowledge and/or reflect the
predominant languages spoken in the community.
Education
Most Corona residents are high school graduates or have a higher level of education, but only 30 percent have a bachelor’s degree or other advanced degree. Parks and
recreational programs and facilities can support interests in lifelong learning and extend learning options for students, which help sustain and increase educational success.
Hispanic, 48%
White, 32%
Asian/Pacific Islander, 13%
Black, 6%
Other, 2%
EDUCATION
RECREATION
HISTORY
CULTURE
Parks and recreation are central to ensuring
a high quality of life in Corona. Whether
walking through a park, biking the Santa Ana
River Trail, taking a yoga class at the Senior
Center, playing baseball at Butterfield Park,
enjoying summer concerts at Santana Park,
or participating in a variety of other activities,
community members value the opportunities
Corona provides to be active every day. This
chapter summarizes local demographics
and input received through the community
engagement process to help understand
community needs for parks, recreation
facilities, and programs.
Corona is a thriving community located in the
northwestern corner of Riverside County, nestled
between the Cleveland National Forest to the west and
Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain Reserve to the east.
Corona was founded during the height of the Southern
California citrus boom in 1886 and remained a largely
agricultural community until the 1970s. In the early 20th century, Corona was known as the lemon capital of the
world.
In the present day, Corona continues to grow and evolve, offering a thriving business environment for industry
and commerce, sought-after schools, recreational
opportunities, historic/cultural amenities, and a high
quality of life.
13 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN OUR COMMUNITY 14 Income
The 2022 American Community Survey estimates a median income in Corona of $99,953, with nearly one-third of the community earning low and moderate incomes, when compared to the median income for Riverside County. While most Corona residents would be able to pay full market rates for leisure and entertainment opportunities, there is a need to ensure parks and recreation services are affordable and accessible to lower-income residents. Barriers to access may include price/fees, the absence of childcare, travel distance, transportation needs, accessibility via walking/biking, lack of leisure time, and cultural factors such as language, service representation, and access where these cross over with income disparities.
Housing Composition and Density
Corona is largely defined by its suburban environment. Two-thirds of all occupied housing units are single-family homes. Certain areas of the community have higher density residential development such as apartments and other types of multi-family housing. These areas likely place greater demands on some types of parks and recreation services (on a per-acre basis) than areas with fewer residents or less dense development.
Figure 2-2: Income
Figure 2-3: Quadrant Analysis
Extremely- and Very-Low Income
(50% or less of AMI), 16%
Low Income
(50-80% of AMI), 12%
Moderate Income
(80-120% of AMI), 8%
Above Moderate
Income (>120%),
63%
CORONA’S QUADRANTS
To provide a more detailed comparison and deeper analysis of unique needs within the community, the geography of Corona was divided into quadrants based on Census block groups, with major streets functioning as the dividing lines. This approach allows for a comparison of demographics and socioeconomic factors in different areas of the community as well as geographic comparisons of park access.
Demographic Snapshot by Quadrant
Different parts of Corona vary dramatically in terms of demographics, amenities, and physical characteristics and structure. An analysis of demographics by quadrant reveals the following:
Population: The most populated quadrant is Quadrant 1, with approximately a third of the City’s population.
Population Density: Population density is highest in Quadrant 1 and lowest in Quadrant 3. The quadrants vary significantly in land use, with some quadrants having significantly more commercial or industrial uses, some with more undeveloped land, and some with mixed levels of residential and other development. For example, Quadrant 2 has many higher-density areas, but this is counterbalanced by undeveloped land east of I-15.
Poverty: Poverty rates are highest in Quadrants 1 and 2—more than double the rates of Quadrants 3 and 4.
Race and Ethnicity: Quadrants 1 and 2 have a higher proportion of Non-White and Hispanic/Latino residents than Quadrants 3 and 4.
Tenure: Quadrants 1 and 2 have more than double the proportion of renter households when compared to Quadrants 3 and 4.
Youth: Quadrants 1 and 2 have a higher proportion of the City’s young children and teenagers than Quadrants 3 and 4.
1 2
3 4
15 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN OUR COMMUNITY 16 Table 2-1 summarizes demographic data by quadrant, recognizing that the land area in Quadrant 2 is substantially larger than the other quadrants. This information, however, is useful to compare to the City’s park and recreation resources in each quadrant (Chapter 3) to identify unique community needs.
Table 2-1: Demographics by Quadrant
Characteristics
Quadrant
Total
1 2 3 4
Size (Sq. Miles) 9.6 12.4 8.7 9.2 40
Population1 50,382 45,039 26,237 35,478 157,136
Population Density (Residents/ Sq. Miles)2 5,205 3,620 2,999 3,877 3,926 % Families with Incomes Below Poverty Level 10% 10% 4% 4% 8% % Non-White, Hispanic/Latino Population 77% 75% 56% 56% 69% % Renter Households 49% 41% 15% 21% 35%
% All City Residents 0-9 years of age 37% 29% 13% 21% 100% % All City Residents 10-17 years of age 31% 30% 18% 21% 100% Source: City of Corona, 2022; U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census; U.S. Census Bureau 2017-2021 American Community Survey Notes:
(1) 2020 population of 157,136 residents is the latest available data at the Census block level and provides the most accurate population count for the City that can allows for quadrant level estimates. This estimate is similar to the most recent, 2022, population estimates from the California Department of Finance (156,778).
(2) Population and housing estimates sourced from the 2020 Census data, the latest available at the Census block level. Poverty, race/ ethnicity, tenure, and age data is sourced from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey at the block group level.
COMMUNITY VOICES
To ensure the PRMP reflects the unique priorities
and preferences of the community, residents,
visitors, key stakeholders, and City leaders were
invited to share their insights on parks and
recreation needs. The PRMP was influenced by the
collective voices and wisdom of the community,
while also recognizing the value and power of
diverse individual voices so that the park and
recreation system offers something for everyone.
ENGAGEMENT PROCESS
The community engagement process was
predicated on the understanding that hearing
from residents with diverse backgrounds and
experiences leads to more innovative ideas,
better decisions, and greater public support of
outcomes. The process encouraged community
members to be actively involved in the planning
effort and was designed to:
• Educate and inform community members
through meaningful engagement regarding the
PRMP process.
• Identify key stakeholders and PRMP champions,
working in partnership to ensure participation in
the process.
• Solicit input to identify park and recreation
needs and priorities from a cross-section of
audiences and key stakeholders throughout
the community (including people of varying
ages, gender identities, socioeconomic status,
language, racial and ethnic backgrounds, dis/
abilities, place of residency, etc.)
• Ensure equitable access to resources by
providing a variety of engagement options
(time, location, language).
• Demonstrate transparency through
open and ongoing interaction with the
community throughout the project and clear
communication about how public input will be
incorporated into the PRMP.
Outreach was conducted in both English and
Spanish, digital and in person. In addition to the
City’s social media, email, and in-person outreach,
local advocates shared surveys broadly within
their networks to increase the reach.
The community participation process for the
PRMP began with conversations with community
members, especially youth, during the summer
of 2022 through the “My Wish for Corona Parks”
campaign, followed by interviews with key
community leaders, and two surveys that were
broadcast broadly throughout local parks and the
community. This engagement process provides
a valuable cross reference of input to understand
community needs. It was also supplemented
through ongoing meetings and work sessions
with the Parks and Recreation Commission,
City Council, and staff to ensure the plan is
representative of the community.
Engagement Participation
134 participants in the My Wish for Corona
Parks activity
1,347 participants in the Parks Needs Survey
892 participants in the Programs Needs Survey
13 participants from recreation stakeholder
groups
6 meetings with the Parks and Recreation
Commission
17 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN OUR COMMUNITY 18 My Wish for Corona Parks
The “My Wish for Corona Parks” engagement
activity was an open-ended, interactive activity
intended to collect ideas from community members
of all ages about the future of Corona parks.
Offered at a variety of citywide pop-up events in
summer 2022, a total of 134 community members
completed paper and online versions of the activity.
Respondents used words and drawings to share
their ideas.
Key Leader Interviews
In July 2022, Corona’s Mayor, City Councilmembers,
Parks and Recreation Commissioners, and City
Manager participated in interviews led by PRMP
consultant MIG, Inc. to gather their perspectives on
the City’s park and recreation priorities to guide the
planning process.
Needs Survey
To collect input on community members’ recreation
needs, concerns, and preferences, a survey was
conducted over the course of two months during
fall of 2022. To reach existing park users, signs
with QR codes were manufactured and installed
at all community parks. In addition, the survey was
distributed broadly on social media and distributed
at City pop-ups during community events. A total
of 1,347 responses from community members were
collected. (Appendix C includes additional detail on
the results of this survey.)
Recreation Key Partner Interviews and Surveys
To learn more specifically about recreation
programs, representatives from ABC Hopes,
Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD),
and the Corona-Norco Family YMCA (YMCA)
participated in interviews led by MIG. Participants
discussed programming and facility needs as well
as current and future relationships with the City.
In addition, representatives from the pickleball
community participated in meetings with MIG
and City staff to discuss key needs, desired
improvements, and locations for potential pickleball
courts. The City also distributed a survey to local
sports group representatives to provide feedback
on needs and opportunities for fields and their
respective sports leagues.
Recreation Programs Survey
In October 2023, a second survey was distributed
throughout the community to address community
desires for recreation programming and needs for
indoor recreation spaces. The survey was available
for two and a half weeks and was distributed online
with printed copies available at the Corona Senior
Center. A total of 892 people responded to the
survey, providing insights on desired activities,
amenities, and perceptions of affordability of
programs and services. (Appendix C includes
additional detail on the results of this survey.)
Recreation Programs Staff Focus Group
In September 2023, the consultant team met with
recreation programs staff for an in-person focus
group meeting. The purpose of this focus group
was to gain further insight into the priorities for
recreation programs and activities from an internal
perspective.
Parks and Recreation Commission Meetings
The Parks and Recreation Commission acted as
the advisory group for the PRMP, providing input
about key needs in the community, regular checkins regarding community engagement, financial sustainability, and key themes, and a thorough
review of each component the Draft PRMP as it was
developed. Over six meetings, open to the public,
the Parks and Recreation Commission advocated
for the best parks and recreation opportunities for
Corona residents and provided formative guidance
on the PRMP.
Financial Sustainability Work Sessions (Staff
and Parks and Recreation Commission)
A critical component of the Corona Parks and
Recreation Master Plan is the development of
a financial sustainability strategy for recreation
services. The City received guidance from 110%,
a consulting firm that works specifically with city
departments to refine their park and recreation
programming costs of services, on this component
of the project. As part of this process, 110% worked
for more than 50 hours with Community Services
Department staff to collect and analyze data and
historical information on Department revenues and
expenditures and attributing unique expenses to
individual services. In addition, 110% led multiple
workshops and work sessions with both staff and
the Parks and Recreation Commission to discuss the
financial sustainability philosophy, service category
identification, beneficiary of service identification,
the findings from the cost-of-service analysis, and
goal setting for the future. Each of these workshops
and work sessions served as checkpoints in the
process for staff and Commissioners to help define
the policy and cost recovery goals shared here.
City Council Meetings
A key component of the City Council’s Strategic
Plan is implementation of a Parks and Recreation
Master Plan to guide decision making and
investment in the future. The City Council was
involved throughout development of the PRMP
at key touchpoints, with three public meetings
where they provided direction on desired project
outcomes, input on the engagement process, and
review of preliminary findings. The City Council
will review the PRMP in a study session prior to
consideration for adoption.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THEMES
AND KEY TAKE-AWAYS
This rich and robust community engagement
process yielded a variety of needs, ideas, and
priorities for specific parks as well as for park and
recreation opportunities in general. While many
topics arose across the multiple engagement
activities, a few key themes emerged as important to
the future of parks for Corona residents. This is not an exhaustive list of all feedback but shows cross cutting themes from the surveys, My Wish activity, Parks and
Recreation Commission meetings, and stakeholder
meetings and surveys. Along with findings from
the technical analysis, these priorities and needs
helped guide the development of the goals and
recommendations in Chapter 4 of the PRMP.
Existing Park Improvements
Enhancing the quality, maintenance, and comfort of
the City’s existing parks and facilities is a top priority for Corona residents.
Repairs, Renovation, and Maintenance
Top investment priorities identified by engagement
participants include improving existing parks,
specifically repairing worn and aging park features.
To do this effectively, outreach findings suggested
that the City should increase park maintenance
and replace facilities at the end of their usable life
cycle. Improved maintenance, such as litter pickup
and facility cleaning, is desired, as well as repair
of broken features, particularly in play areas and
restrooms.
Comfort and Function
Residents throughout the engagement process
described the need to make parks more
comfortable to increase use. This desire was largely
focused on the need to provide additional shade
either through additional tree canopy or shade
sails and structures, especially over play areas and
any adjacent seating areas. In addition, residents
requested additional lighting to enhance recreation
in the evening hours, additional seating, and
other amenities such as trash cans and dog waste
dispensers.
Shade please!!
– Parks Needs Survey
Safety
Corona community members value safe, clean, and
welcoming park facilities for all. Residents identified the need for additional lighting and activation at
park facilities. Monitoring and enforcement of park
rules was identified as important, which can be
implemented through the park ranger program. In
addition, keeping parks well maintained will make
them more inviting and increase the sense of safety.
19 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN OUR COMMUNITY 20 More/Greater Variety of Recreation
Opportunities
Corona residents desire a variety of recreation
activities and experiences in their parks, including
places to exercise, play sports, connect to nature,
and play with friends and family. More unique play
features are needed, including nature play, water
play, and destination play areas. Residents also
note the need for more and more diverse sport
courts options, dog play areas, and outdoor fitness
equipment as well as opportunities and activities
tailored toward older children and teens, which
could include challenge elements such as climbing
walls, bike skills courses, and zip lines. There is
strong interest in the provision of more facilities
that support self-directed recreation activities, with
a high priority on walking and cycling, as well as
facilities, programs, and events to support social
gathering and intergenerational activities. The
community also discussed improvements at City
Park, with a desire for an enhanced aquatic center
and outdoor space for events and festivals. The
community sees City Park as a valuable recreation
amenity for the community. Enhancing recreation
and gathering opportunities, along with addressing
safety concerns, is a priority for survey respondents
at City Park.
Equitable Access to Quality Park and
Recreation Services
Corona community members shared that not all
areas of the city have equal access to parks. Some
areas of the city have been described as older
(with correspondingly older parks and facilities),
and less access to high-quality amenities. Input
from residents indicates that these areas should be
prioritized for enhanced maintenance, replacement
of facilities, and additional improvements.
More programming
activities and events geared
toward teens (13-18)
– Parks Needs Survey
In addition, residents noted the need for more
opportunities for a variety of ages and abilities to
participate in recreational activities. Identifying and providing facilities, amenities, and programming
that are intentionally tailored to serve a variety of
different ages, abilities, backgrounds, and interests
can help to reach these communities that may not
have been planned for in the past.
Community Culture and Identity
Residents are proud of their community and want
to have their parks and park programs reflect
Corona’s rich history, culture, vibrancy, and diverse
community. Community identity can be reflected
through Corona’s parks, recreation programs and
events – such as unique, themed, contextualized
playground design and special events.
Dynamic Programing
Having a variety of programming and events is a
top priority of Corona residents. Outreach findings
indicate that residents relish the special events for
which the community is known, and desire more
and a greater variety of programming options,
including more active programming, sports, and
fitness programs (at a variety of levels) to support
community health and wellbeing. Residents would
also like to see more programming to support
cooking skills and the arts, as well as outdoor-based
activities. Residents also noted a desire for familyfriendly recreation programs and events that appeal to people of all ages.
More safety checks at parks to
make families feel safe
– Parks Needs Survey
Partnerships
Corona has existing community-based, youth, civic,
and business organizations that have strong and
trusted relationships within the community. The
City works with many of these groups. Community
comments suggested that existing partnerships
can be strengthened to ensure mutual, reciprocal
benefit, and new partnerships could be explored to
embrace efficiency and community building.
21 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN OUR COMMUNITY 22 3 COMMUNITY NEEDS
This chapter provides a snapshot of the City’s park system, including the current (2023) inventory of parks, facilities, and programs, and evaluates the distribution of parks, park deficiencies, and areas of greatest needs.
Building on the community engagement results summarized in Chapter 2, this chapter adds an analysis layer to gauge needs against best practices, national trends, and the local context.
Corona is a diverse, family-friendly community,
where playing sports and enjoying barbecues are
great ways to spend a day at the park. As the City
has grown more diverse, sports and recreation
preferences are evolving, and new amenities and
activities are popping up in parks. To understand
park needs, this chapter provides a status report on
the park system, building on the community input
provided with mapping and data-driven analysis to
provide insights into needs and opportunities.
PARK SYSTEM
SNAPSHOT
Corona parks and recreation facilities are diverse
in function and character, offering passive and
active opportunities for people of different ages
and interests. They range in scale of development,
with some that are heavily developed, others more
natural. In total, Corona owns and/or manages 46
developed parks/sites that total approximately
380 acres. In addition, the City holds in reserve just
under 330 acres of undeveloped parkland set aside
for future park development and use. The City of
Corona’s park and recreation system collectively
refers to the City’s recreation spaces, infrastructure, and resources that are managed, maintained,
and programmed by the Community Services
Department for recreation or park use (excluding
trails). The complete, existing (2023) park system
and facility inventory is presented in Appendix A,
including a map of existing parks and facilities.
GENERAL TERMS
The following general terms apply to parks
and recreation features managed by Corona’s
Community Services Department.
Parks or Parkland describe City-owned or
managed sites that support recreation, social
gathering, and greenspace.
Recreation Facilities are developed outdoor
or indoor elements that provide recreation
opportunities in parks. Examples include
playgrounds, sports courts and fields, and gyms.
Park Amenities are support features that facilitate
the comfort, functionality, and use of parks. These
include elements such as restrooms, parking lots,
benches, etc.
Trails are a type of recreation and non-motorized
transportation facility that can be developed within
parks or open space areas, or even in street rights
of ways. Trails in Corona are part of the bike and
pedestrian system that is addressed in the Trails
Master Plan.
Other types of parks, greenspace, and recreation
areas exist in Corona and include natural resource
areas owned by other public entities and
recreation sites owned and managed by private
entities such as country clubs and Homeowner’s
Associations. There are 107 HOAs in Corona with
a variety of private amenities, including 18 parks
ranging 0.22 acres (smallest) to 5.28 acres (largest).
FAMILY FRIENDLY
COMMUNITY
DIVERSITY
25 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 26
PARK INVENTORY AND
CLASSIFICATIONS
The City of Corona classifies and categorizes
parks to distinguish them by their function.
Classifications consider site size, use, service
area, as well as available amenities and
facilities. Corona’s parks are classified in
seven categories. This categorization helps
the City make decisions about development,
improvements, park maintenance, and
programming based on the intent and level of
use for each park site.
Neighborhood Parks – Multi-Use
Neighborhood Parks (Multi-Use) are smaller
parks with a mix of greenspace, play space,
active recreation space, and neighborhood
gathering space that are intended to serve
residents in the surrounding neighborhood
within walking or biking distance.
Special Use Sites
Special Use Sites are stand-alone or singlepurpose sites that support unique recreation opportunities or specialized recreation facilities
serving all or part of the Corona community.
Citywide Parks
Citywide parks provide major recreation facilities,
event space, and cultural venues intended to serve
as citywide destinations for events, programs, and
activities. These sites attract visitors from across the entire city and potentially beyond.
Pocket Parks
Pocket Parks are micro-sized greenspaces that
typically are less than one acre in size and
support community aesthetics and passive uses.
Community Parks
Community Parks are mid-size parks that support
sports, specialized facilities, group gatherings,
and programmable space for several
neighborhoods or a portion of the city.
Undeveloped Parkland
Undeveloped Parkland are unimproved Cityowned properties being held for future park development and recreation use, which may or
may not allow current park access.
Neighborhood Parks – Basic
Neighborhood Parks (Basic) are smaller parks
intended to provide essential recreation options
and greenspace to residents in the surrounding
neighborhood within walking or biking distance.
27 1 CITY OF CORONA PARKS MASTER PLAN CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS INTRODUCTION 28 2 Park Type # Sites Total Acreage Examples
Citywide Parks1 4 137 Butterfield Park
Santana Park
Community Parks 4 68 Citrus Park
Promenade Park
Neighborhood Parks –
Multi-Use
13 83 Brentwood Park
Ontario Park
Village Park
Neighborhood Parks –
Basic
11 52 Border Park
Rimpau Park
Tehachapi Park
Pocket Parks 3 0.6 Contreras Park
Special Use Sites 11 39 Auburndale Park
Corona Senior Center
Historic Civic Center
Undeveloped Parkland 6 328 Skyline Site
Lemon Heights
Detention Basin
Total 52 709
Table 3-2: Existing Parkland by Classification
Table 3-3: Corona Programs and Support Services
(1) Citywide Parks include El Cerrito Sports Park, which is a County-owned site maintained by the City through a long-term lease agreement. *The Corona Library is operated and programmed separately by the Community Services Department through the Library Division. While noted here for reference, it is not considered to be a recreation program service area.
PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES SNAPSHOT
PROGRAMS
The Community Services Department is charged with providing a wide range of recreation programs and community services, including after-school programs, summer programs, childcare, community classes for all ages, and senior enrichment. The Community Services Department also organizes and hosts treasured community events, such as the annual Fourth of July celebration. Table 3-3 provides a snapshot of the City’s program service areas and support services. The City offers programs in fourteen different service areas, described in more detail in Appendix A. These may be offered by City staff or contract staff in City facilities; some include registrations and referrals to private programs through partnerships. Most types of programs are provided year-round. Appendix G provides additional details on the programs, services, and facilities operated by the Community Services Department.
Program Service Areas Support Services
Adaptive Recreation Facility Operations
Adult and Senior Maintenance
After School Program/Event Support (Set Up and Clean Up) Aquatics Social Media
Arts and Culture Communications
Camps Registration and Program Support
Early Childhood
Enrichment
Events
Health and Fitness
Library Programs*
Rentals/Reservations
Sports (Youth and Adults)
STEM and Innovation
Volunteerism
29 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 30 Table 3-4: Major Facilities, Operators, Quadrants, and Uses *Also includes the spaces referred to as the teen room and community room.
MAJOR FACILITIES
Corona has 15 major facilities within its inventory. Major facilities are defined as buildings and pools that require some degree of staffing and operations (see also Appendix A, Table A-2, and Table 3-4 below). These major facilities are operated in a somewhat piecemeal fashion, largely due to the fact that they were not original designed and built for comprehensive recreation programming use.
Currently, not all are programmed for recreation. Some are used primarily as office space or rental space. While largely located in the northern portion of the city, these facilities include many smaller, separate buildings, which reduces efficiencies.
Major Facilities Quadrant Building Use
City-Operated for Recreation
Brentwood Center 1 Programmed by contract staff for a single use Circle City Center 1 Programmed by City staff, contract staff, and community rentals/reservations
Corona Senior Center 1 Programmed by City staff and contract staff Auburndale Community Center 1 Primarily used by staff for office space Historic Civic Center Gym* 1 Programmed by City staff and contract staff Historic Civic Center Auditorium/
Theater and Community Room
1 Programmed by City staff and contract staff
Victoria Park Community Center 1 Used for community rentals or reservations Vicentia Activity Center (VAC) 1 Programmed by City staff Leased to Others
Auburndale Swimming Pool 1 Programmed by other recreation providers.
Historic Civic Center (HCC) 1 Leased to partners for office/training space.
River Road Community Center 1 Programmed by other recreation providers.
YMCA Youth Center at Merrill
(PAL Building)
2 Programmed by other recreation providers.
YMCA Training Center (Scout
Building)
1 Leased to partners for office/training space.
Other Facilities
City Park Swimming Pool 2 (currently closed)
Corona Library 2 (not programmed for recreation)
KEY NEEDS
The Corona community desires a great parks
system that incorporates parkland, trails, recreation
facilities, programs, and events. However, the
investment needed to provide everything desired
is cost prohibitive. Corona sought input from the
public, key stakeholders, and partners to identify
ways to improve, enhance, and invest in parks,
recreation facilities, trails, programs, and events.
Guided by community priorities, the PRMP
identifies needs for future investments in renovated
parks and facilities, new parkland, recreation
programs, park maintenance and stewardship,
and the services provided by Corona Community
Services Department. As part of the PRMP
development process, a technical analysis was
conducted of Corona’s park land, facilities, and
programs to help cross-check outreach findings
with a data-driven analysis of needs.
PARK CONDITION AND EXPERIENCE
The variety of recreation opportunities, condition,
and accessibility of parks impact whether and
how often people use them. High quality parks
and recreation facilities contribute significantly
to the overall well-being of the community. The
presence of features such as shade, cleanliness of
park grounds and restroom facilities, along with
perceptions of safety are key factors shaping how
and when the community uses the City’s facilities.
Detailed park evaluations were conducted as
part of the PRMP process to document existing
conditions and identify potential opportunities for
improvement. Figure Map 3-1: Park Experiences
summarizes assessment results by criteria and park
locations. Appendix B provides additional detail.
The evaluations identified several sites that can and
should be improved.
Key Takeaways:
The highest and lowest park rating
scores are distributed evenly among the
quadrants. However, low-scoring parks are
overrepresented in Quadrants 1 and 2 and
high-scoring parks are underrepresented in
those areas. These comparisons show that
there is a disparity in park experiences for
residents in different parts of Corona.
HOW DO OUR PARKS MEASURE UP?
As part of the PRMP development process,
the City’s park system was assessed to identify
strengths and challenges, including operations
and user experience.
To measure key attributes of the different
parks, a qualitative scoring system composed of
five key categories was developed:
• Safety
• Comfort
• Connections
• Identity/Character
• Fun/Varied Recreation
Each category included four evaluation criteria
which were scored on a scale from two to ten,
with ten being the highest.
31 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 32 Park Experience
Assessment Results
Airbus,USGS,NGA,NASA,CGIAR,NCEAS,NLS,OS,NMA,Geodatasty
and the GIS User Community, City of Corona, County of Riverside, California State Parks
Last Updated: 1/24/2024 9:51 AM
0 ½ 1
Mile
Parmenter
Park
Ted Brooks Park
Sundance
Park
Pacer Park
Norco Hills Park
CITY OF
NORCO
COMMUNITY OF
EL CERRITO
CLEVELAND
NATIONAL
FOREST
CHINO HILLS
STATE PARK
CITY OF
CHINO HILLS
CITY OF
RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF ORA
PRADO
REGIONAL PARK
LAKE
MATTHEWS
ESTELLE
MOUNTAIN
RESERVE
OINDRANREB NAS F OYT NUOC
Fairview
Park Stagecoach
Park
Parkview Park
River
Road Park
Rock Vista
Park
Promenade
Village Park
Tehachapi
Park
Cresta
Verde Park Contreras Park
City Park
Ridgeline
Park
Serfas Club
Park
Victoria
Merrill Park Park
Joy Park
B Husted Park rentwood Park
Kellogg
Park
Lincoln Park
Ontario
Park
Mangular
Park
Border Park Santana Park
Buena Vista
Park
Rimpau Park
Citrus
Mountaingate Park
Park
Chase
Jameson Park
Park
Eagle Glen Spyglass
Park
Park
Historic Civic Center
Circle City
Center
Auburndale
Park
15 91
El Cerrito
Sports Park
Oxbow
Site
Sheridan
Park
YMCA at
Merrill
Corona Senior
Center
Corona Public
Library City Hall South Park
VAC
Civic Center Gym
Gilbert
Basin
Lemon Heights
Skyline Site Basin
Taylor
Basin
Chase Drive
Basin
Sierra Bella
Park
3 2
4 1
River Rd
Magnolia Av
E Gran
Bl
d
W
Grand
Bl
W Ontario Av
N Mckinley St
E Ontario Av
Magnolia Av
Green River Rd
W Sixth
St
N Main St
E Sixth St
S Lincoln Av
Temescal Canyon Rd
S Main St
Eagle Glen Py Cajalco
Rd
Other Public Parks and Open Space
Schools
Bus Routes
Bike Routes
Hiking Trails
Water Feautures
City of Corona
Analysis Quadrants
County Boundaries
City of Corona Parks
Citywide Park
Community Park
Neighborhood Park - Multi-Use
Neighborhood Park - Basic
Pocket Park
Special Use Site
Undeveloped Parkland
Park Experience Score
Low (0 - 5.9)
Moderate (6 - 6.6)
High (6.7+)
Map 3-1
33 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 34
MAINTENANCE/DEFERRED
MAINTENANCE
Due to the size of the City’s park and recreation
system, there is a heavy maintenance workload
that requires substantial resources. In the past, the
City of Corona has lacked sufficient funding and
staffing to fully maintain, repair, replace, and/or
update aging and worn amenities, facilities, and
landscaping in parks. This creates what is referred
to as “deferred maintenance backlog” that must be
addressed in two complementary ways:
• Maintenance: Additional resources must be
spent on routine and preventive maintenance,
including minor repairs where needed.
• Capital Investment: A larger investment is
warranted to replace amenities and facilities in
poor condition or at the end of their lifecycles.
This investment includes addressing deferred
maintenance needs that have grown to the
point where capital replacement is needed.
Looking forward, it also includes careful future
asset management planning as current facilities
continue to age.
The 2020 Park and Facilities Inventory Assessment,
conducted prior to the PRMP update commenced,
completed site evaluations for 36 park sites, 7
buildings, and 22 playgrounds within the Corona
park system. The Assessment looked both the
physical condition of the parks facilities as well as
compliance with ADA regulations. All facilities were
rated as being in fair to good condition.
Key Takeaways:
Existing deferred maintenance issues must be
addressed through facility rehabilitation and in
some cases facility replacement. Over the next
ten-years, significant investments will be required,
totaling over $46 million (as determined in the 2020
Assessment). The 2020 Park and Facilities Inventory
Assessment provides a useful starting point but
does not address additional costs associated with
a higher level of amenities or different facilities that may be warranted at an individual site.
ACCESSIBILITY FINDINGS
As part of the 2020 Park and Facilities Inventory
Assessment, all parks were assessed for compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
are in the process of being improved over the
course of a five-year period. Planned improvements
were classified into categories for the purpose of
prioritizing the improvements, with a total estimated
improvement cost of $1.2 million:
• Priority 1: Accessible van and car parking;
approach and entrances ($814,705)
• Priority 2: Accessible route/path of travel
($105,442)
• Priority 3: Restroom facilities ($201,586)
• Priority 4: Access to all other features and
amenities ($86,079)
• Priority 5: Employee-only areas ($24,243)
Key Takeaways:
The systematic completion of ADA compliance
upgrades is necessary, with implementation based
on the priority categories identified.
PARK ACCESS AND GAPS
Parks planning addresses several key questions
that help identify how and where to allocate City
resources. What types of parks, facilities and
programs are needed to respond to evolving
community needs over the next ten years? Where
are parks, facilities, and programs most needed?
Which investments will make the most impact? Who
is missing from the planning conversation? Cities
are not built all at once, but grow over time in a
non-linear, overlapping structure. Neighborhood
histories, development trends, politics, real estate
economics, city financing mechanisms, and lack
of developable land all affect the size, number,
and quality of parks and facilities within a city. To
adjust for this wide array of factors, it is important
to create standards and measurement tools to
assess the adequacy of a city’s park system. These
DO PARKS FEEL SAFE?
• Are there good visibility/sight lines to and through
the park?
• Is the park relatively clean and free of vandalism?
• Does the park have adequate lighting?
• Do structures and/or amenities appear to be in
good working order?
While certain sites could use additional repairs
and enhancements to make them more
interesting, overall, amenities in Corona’s parks
are in working order. Most parks in Corona are
equipped with adequate or better lighting than
average both at a pedestrian level as well as in
parking areas. Most parks, with a few notable
exceptions, are well kept and free of vandalism.
DO PARKS FEEL COMFORTABLE?
• Is there a covered area or shade?
• Are there places to rest/sit?
• Are there appropriate support amenities (trash
cans, restrooms, drinking fountains, bike racks that
depend on park type)?
• Are there attractive features and landscaping?
Most parks in Corona provide adequate seating
given the park type, although parks that serve
more people could generally use more seating.
However, shading for benches, park seating,
picnic areas, and play areas is consistently
lacking. Many parks provided adequate support
amenities (e.g., restrooms, drinking fountains,
bike racks, etc.), but several parks provided
facilities that were not in working order. Sports
fields conditions suggest a need for field rest to
recuperate after prolonged use.
DO PARKS HAVE GOOD CONNECTIONS?
• Is the park well connected to the surrounding
neighborhood?
• Does the park have welcoming entries?
• Is the park relatively easy to find from the adjacent street or trail?
• Are adjacent uses appropriate to support park use?
Overall, parks provide adequate connections
to the surrounding areas appropriate to most
park types. A few parks were noted to obstruct
neighborhood connections (e.g., a park with
a permanent fence without a pedestrian gate)
or otherwise lack connection to the nearby
community.
DO PARKS PRESENT AN IDENTITY/CHARACTER?
• Does the park reflect the community character?
• Does the park have unique landscaping or natural
features?
• Does the park include a clear design theme/brand/
color palette or have quality design features that
are unique/customized to this park?
• Does the park incorporate sustainability?
Park identity and character scored the lowest
of all categories in the assessment. A clearly
defined design theme is not apparent at
most parks. In general, Corona’s parks rely on
standard landscaping such as trees and turf with
few unique landscape or natural features, and
playgrounds and other recreation features do
not match or support a larger design theme for
the park. The City may consider expanding art
installations and consider ways to make obvious
community and cultural connections.
FUN/VARIED RECREATION
• Does the park have a wide variety of recreation
opportunities for the park type?
• Are there recreational amenities that are unique to
this park?
• Are there appropriate active and passive recreation
options, based on the park type?
• Is the park flexible in different types of
programming?
Most parks provide a decent balance of active
and passive recreation options by park type,
and ample open space is available. However,
most parks lack recreational variety and unique
recreation amenities to create a unique theme/
destination for that park.
35 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 36 However, there are two gap areas of significant
concern. Residents within those gaps are reported
to have moderate or high health vulnerability
and no recreation resources accessible within a
10-minute walk. In both of these gap areas, located
in the central parts of Corona, barriers and/or the
lack of park development impedes access.
• Gap Area 1: Located south of State Route 91,
roughly bisected by Sixth Street. This residential
area includes Corona High School.
• Gap Area 2: Located west of I-15, roughly
bisected by Magnolia Avenue. This residential
area includes Centennial High School.
In other parts of northern Corona, additional gaps
to local parks exist, but may be met with local
indoor recreation facilities located within walking
distance of these gap areas.
Gaps also exist along the western and southern
edges of Corona. In these areas, there are multiple
undeveloped detention basins and open space in
several key gap areas. Developing the Taylor and
Lemon Heights Detention basins into neighborhood
parks will be critical to providing park access to this portion of the community, as well as enhancing
access to trails and open space areas in the
Cleveland National Forest, Chino Hills State Park,
and Lake Matthews Estelle Mountain Reserve
Measuring Community Health
Vulnerability
The CA Healthy Places Index (HPI) tool maps
data on social conditions that drive health,
which can vary dramatically by neighborhood.
HPI evaluates the relationship between
23 identified key drivers of health and life
expectancy at birth and produces a percentile
ranking that shows the relative impact
of existing conditions in a selected area
compared to all other such places in the state.
Indicators used in the HPI are grouped into
eight thematic groups or policy action areas:
• Economics
• Education
• Healthcare access
• Housing
• Neighborhood conditions
• Clean environment
• Social environment
• Transportation
tools allow the City to more consistently allocate
resources to deliver safe, clean, and welcoming
parks with meaningful program options for diverse
communities.
Park Access
Research shows that park proximity improves park
use and increases health benefits. For this reason,
many cities—including Corona—strive to provide
quality parks within walking distance of all residents.
A park access analysis identified areas where
residents have access to park land within a
½-mile walk. The ½-mile travel distance equates
to approximately a 10-minute walk, which is the
industry standard for access to park land established
by the National Recreation and Park Association
(NRPA), the Trust for Public Land (TPL), and the
Urban Land Institute (ULI). Research has shown
that the average person will typically walk up
to one-half mile to reach a desired destination.
NRPA research affirms that park proximity plays an
important role in facilitating higher levels of park
use and physical activity levels, particularly amongst
youth populations. Park distribution, facilities, and
conditions also affect park use and physical activity
levels.
According to TPL’s ParkServe data, 59 percent of
Corona residents have access to a developed park
within a 10-minute walk from their home. This is
higher than the nationwide average of 55 percent.
However, this does not mean that everyone has
equal access to parks.
Equity Analysis
While Corona’s residents fair slightly better than the
nationwide average with regard to access to parks,
this access is uneven. Certain areas of the community
have better access to high-quality parks and healthy
living options than others.
Park and facility distribution, population density,
poverty rates, race and ethnicity, health vulnerability, anticipated future growth and redevelopment,
trail connectivity, and land use characteristics all
affect residents’ equitable access to park and
recreation opportunities. For this reason, an analysis
was conducted to apply a health equity lens and
highlight service gap areas with the highest health
vulnerability. When evaluated through this lens, the
more nuanced needs of Corona’s residents for park
access are identified.
Residential density and historically underserved
minority populations influences park needs in many
ways. Higher-density areas have more people,
which places a greater demand on nearby parks.
These areas also tend to have less greenspace,
which heightens the importance of parks and open
space nearby. Areas with historically lower levels of
investment tend to have less greenspace. Vulnerable
and economically disadvantaged populations may
also lack the ability, time, and resources to travel to parks that are farther away.
A gap analysis (Map 3-2) shows that most residential
areas Corona are located within a 10-minute walk
of local parks (as indicated by the areas shaded in
green). Gaps do exist in residential neighborhoods
throughout the community, specifically where noted
by the 15 circles on the map.
Equality vs Equity
Equity differs from equality. Equality means
everyone has access to the same amount
and types of recreation opportunities.
Equity, however, recognizes that people and
neighborhoods have different circumstances
and needs. A focus on park equity suggests
the need to focus investment in unserved and
underserved areas and places where barriers
exist to access, providing the types or parks,
amenities, facilities, and programs to meet
unique needs.
37 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 38 Parks Gap Analysis
City of Corona, County of Riverside, California State Parks, Esri, TomTom, Garmin, SafeGraph, GeoTechnologies, Inc, METI/NASA, USGS, Bureau of Land Management, EPA, NPS, USDA, USFWS, Last Updated: 1/24/2024 10:49 AM
0 ½ 1
Mile
Parmenter
Park
Ted Brooks Park
Sundance
Park
Pacer Park
Norco Hills Park
CITY OF
NORCO
COMMUNITY OF
EL CERRITO
CLEVELAND
NATIONAL
FOREST
CHINO HILLS
STATE PARK
CITY OF
CHINO HILLS
CITY OF
RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF ORANGE
PRADO
REGIONAL PARK
LAKE
MATTHEWS
ESTELLE
MOUNTAIN
RESERVE
OINDRANREB NAS F OYT NUOC
Fairview
Park
Stagecoach
Park
Parkview Park
River
Road Park
Rock Vista
Park
Promenade
Village Park
Tehachapi
Park
Cresta Contreras Verde Park
Park
City Park
Ridgeline
Park
Serfas Club
Park
Victoria
Merrill Park Park
Joy Park
Brentwood Husted Park Park
Kellogg
Park
Lincoln Park
Ontario
Park
Mangular
Park
Border Park Santana Park
Buena Vista
Park
Rimpau Park
Citrus
Park Mountaingate Park
Chase
Park Jameson
Park
Eagle Glen Spyglass
Park
Park
Historic Civic Center
Circle City
Center
Auburndale
Park
15 91
El Cerrito
Sports Park
Oxbow
Site
Sheridan
Park
YMCA at Merrill
Corona Senior
Center
Corona Public
Library City Hall South Park
VAC
Civic Center Gym
Gilbert Basin
Lemon Heights Skyline Site Basin
Taylor
Basin
Chase Drive
Basin
Sierra Bella
Park
3 2
4 1
River Rd
Magnolia Av
E Grand Bl
W
Grand
Bl
W Ontario Av
N Mckinley St
E Ontario Av
Magnolia Av
Green River Rd
W Sixth
St
N Main St
E Sixth St
S Lincoln Av
Temescal Canyon Rd
S Main St
Eagle Glen Py Cajalco
Rd
Other Public Parks and Open Space
Schools
Bus Routes
Bike Routes
Hiking Trails
Trailheads
Water Feautures
City of Corona
County Boundaries
City of Corona Parks
Citywide Park
Community Park
Neighborhood Park - Multi-Use
Neighborhood Park - Basic
Pocket Park
Special Use Site
Undeveloped Parkland
Analysis Quadrants
1/2-mile Park Access Gap
Greater Need Based on Health
Vulnerability
Other Resources Available To
Meet Park Need
Served by Trailhead/Trail Access
Served by Trail Access
10-minute Walk to City Parks
Healthy Places Index 3.0
0 - 25 (High Vulnerability)
25 - 50 (Moderate Vulnerability)
50+ (Low Vulnerability)
Map 3-2
Gap Area 1
Gap Area 2
*
In addition to public parks, there are
107 HOAs in Corona with a variety of
private amenities including 18 parks
ranging from 0.22 acres to 5.28 acres,
*
39 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 40
PARKLAND LEVEL OF
SERVICE AND NEEDS
Existing Level of Service
Corona’s park and recreation system, with over 380
acres of developed parks and facilities, offers many
opportunities for park use.
Most cities in California strive to provide a minimum
of 3 acres per 1,000 residents, as advised in the
California’s Quimby Act. The Quimby Act allows
cities to require that developers set aside 3 acres
of land per 1,000 residents for neighborhood and
community parks (or more if the city’s existing level
of service is higher). The requirement typically
applies when land is subdivided for new residential
development. The 2020-2040 Corona General
Plan establishes a level of service (LOS) standard
of 3.0 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. As of
2023, Corona’s existing LOS is 2.42, lower than the
adopted standard.
Key Takeaways:
When considering ways to increase parks and
recreation facilities within Corona, the City should
focus attention on:
• Serving unserved areas with high population
density and high health vulnerability. This could
be in the form of new parks, but it also could
be in the form of improved or added amenities,
partnerships, and most importantly, mobile
programming.
• Developing undeveloped parkland (in gap
areas) that the City owns but has not improved
for park use.
• Establishing use agreements to leverage the
proximity to parkland owned and maintained by
the other municipalities such as Prado Regional
Park in unincorporated Riverside County
(northwest of Corona) and parks in the cities
of Norco and Riverside to provide additional
recreation opportunities.
• Facilitate access to use of the expansive
protected wildlands adjacent to Corona,
providing opportunities for hiking and
experiencing nature, including the Cleveland
National Forest, Chino Hills State Park, and
Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain Reserve.
Level of service (LOS)
A metric used to guide the amount and types of parks and facilities provided in a community.
Level of Service (LOS) = Desired amount of park land or facilities per 1,000 residents For park land, it is typically presented as ratio of park acres per 1,000 residents served. It is calculated based on the current inventory and population to identify acreage needs. To calculate the LOS, the following formula is applied:
Total Park Acreage / (Total Population ÷ 1,000)
For facilities, it is defined in terms of the number of residents served by a single facility.
Total Population / # of Facilities
Park Type 2022 Existing Acreage # of Sites Existing LOS Citywide Parks 136.3 4 0.87
Community Parks 68.4 4 0.44
Neighborhood Parks -
Multi-Use
82.8 13 0.53
Neighborhood Parks -
Basic
52.4 11 0.33
Pocket Parks 0.6 3 0.004
Special Use Sites 38.7 12 0.25
Total City Parks 379.2 47 2.42
PRMP Proposed Park
Type
Park Acreage Needed
in 20332
# of Sites Future LOS1
City Parks
Citywide Park 137.2 4 0.8
Community Park 82.1 5 0.5
Neighborhood Park -
Basic
69.2 12 0.4
Neighborhood Park -
Multi-Use
76.5 15 0.5
Pocket Park 0.6 3 0.0
Special Use Sites 25.7 10 0.2
Open Space Park 315.5 2 1.8
Undeveloped Park 1.9 1 0.0
Total City Parks 708.5 52 4.2
Table 3-5: Existing Park LOS
Table 3-6: Future Park LOS
(1) LOS refers to park Level of Service, noted in terms of acres per 1,000 residents. Existing LOS is based on a 2020 population of 157,136 residents which is the latest available data at the Census block level and provides the most accurate population count for the Corona that can allows for quadrant level estimates. This estimate is similar to the total population estimate in the 2021 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates (157,844). The estimate used is also very similar to the most recent, 2022, population estimates from the California Department of Finance (156,778).
(2) The General Plan does not establish LOS standards for each park classification. (3) The existing LOS does not include undeveloped parks such as Chase Drive, Lemon Heights, Taylor, and Gilbert Detention Basins. The calculation also excludes recent land acquisitions such as the Skyline and Oxbows properties. (1) LOS refers to park Level of Service, noted in terms of acres per 1,000 residents. Future LOS is the projected population for Corona in 2033 population of 166,833 residents, which is based on the 2040 land use buildout population estimates from the 2020-2040 General Plan Technical Update Draft EIR (172,300 persons).
(2) While the City owns some of this new park land already, it has not been developed as publicly-accessible parks and is not counted as an existing park site.
41 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 42
FUTURE PARK LAND LOS AND NEEDS
Since much of Corona is already built out, there
are limited opportunities to develop new parkland.
In addition, Corona’s population is anticipated
to grow, which will further decrease the level of
service as more people must access the same
amount of parkland. With an estimated increase
in population aligned with General Plan estimates,
Corona will need 111 additional acres of parkland
to achieve an LOS of 3.0 per 1,000 residents.
However, Corona is fortunate to have additional
resources, such as utility detention basins, that
have the potential to be converted to developed
parkland. In addition, the City welcomed
two recent legacy opportunities to secure
land purchases that will significantly expand
available parkland. In 2020, the City purchased
approximately 292 acres of land in the Skyline
area, assuring continued access to the Cleveland
National Forest by way of Corona’s Skyline,
Tin Mine, Skinsuit, and Hagador Canyon Trails,
providing the City the unique ability to protect
wilderness areas for future generations and foster
new outdoor recreation opportunities for Corona
residents and visitors.
In addition, in 2022, as part of a development
agreement for the former Mountain View Golf
Course, the City received a land donation of 23.95
acres for an open space park (Oxbow Park).
With these significant additions, Corona’s future
park level of service (Table 3-6) will exceed the
General Plan LOS standard, prompting a new LOS
standard for Corona (4.0 acres per 1,000 residents)
when proposed new sites are brought online.
With the addition of the Park and Oxbow Parks, as
well as activation of three utility detention basins
(Lemon Heights, Gilbert, and Taylor) Corona’s
parkland LOS is anticipated to increase to just over
4.0 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents.
This increase in parkland, along with Trails Master
Plan implementation and additional creative new
parkland opportunities, will facilitate a significant
increase access to parks, recreation facilities, and
trails for Corona residents. Parks and proposed
future classifications are presented in Map 4-1.
Proposed Parkland Standards and
Future Needs
Proposed LOS Standard 4.0 acres/1,000
residents
Current Total Need1 626 acres
Future (2033) Total Need2 667 acres
By developing existing detention basins
into parks and completing improvements
associated with the Skyline and Oxbow
properties, the City would achieve an LOS of
4.0 acres/1,000 resident.
1: Current based on population estimates from the 2020 Census (157,136 persons)
2. Future need is based on the City’s projected population for 2033 population of 166,833 residents which is based on the 2040 land use buildout population estimates from the 2020-2040 General Plan Technical Update Draft EIR (172,300 persons).
43 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 44
FACILITY LOS AND NEEDS
The Corona community desires more diverse
parks and recreation opportunities. In addition to
the provision of park acreage in general, it is also
important to provide the right amount, types, and
variety of recreational facilities to meet community
needs. Needs for recreation facilities, such as sports
courts/fields, playgrounds, picnic tables, and dog
parks are determined based on a comparison to
LOS standards and park development guidelines
that describe what is appropriate for the design and
use of parks by classification. Major facilities, such as recreation centers, and swimming pools also may be
gauged against LOS standards, but—given facility
costs and complexity—these are cross-checked
though financial feasibility studies to determine
appropriate size, types, and indoor features.
Within many of Corona’s existing parks, recreation
facilities need substantial investment to expand use,
enhance functionality, or support additional public
access and programming. A level of service (LOS)
analysis was conducted to determine the amount
and types of facilities that should be provided
in Corona. Facility level of service is measured
as a ratio of one facility per number of residents
served. Most of the City’s current LOS for various
types of recreation facilities falls short of the City’s adopted LOS standards2
. Only softball/baseball
fields and basketball courts are provided at a
greater level than the established standard. The
LOS for swimming pools falls significantly lower
than the adopted LOS standard given that City
Park pool is not currently in use. Once the City Park
re-envisioning is fully implemented and a new pool
facility is opened, the LOS will improve. Compared
with agencies of a similar population size, Corona
has higher (better) level of service for soccer fields, softball/baseball fields, tennis courts, dog parks,
and skate parks.
Based on recreation trends, needs identified
though community outreach, and best practices in
providing outdoor and indoor facilities, this Master
Plan proposes future LOS standards for a variety
of recreation facilities to guide City staff when
developing new parks and expanding or renovating
existing ones. This numerical guideline is one metric
for making decisions about park improvements.
Chapter 4 details systemwide and site-specific
recommendations, which are further explained in
Appendix E (Recommendations). See also Appendix
D for Acquisition, Design and Development
Guidelines. All of these tools provide directions on
facilities and amenities to consider when designing
new or upgrading existing parks.
LOS standards and the resulting
recommendations in Chapter 4 and Appendix
E are based on the analysis of existing service
levels, needs for new parks and facilities to
serve gap areas, trends that show whether
participation is intended to increase/decrease
over time, deficiencies identified through park
assessments and design guidelines, community
feedback on desired amenities, capacity of sites
to add recreation facilities, and best practices in
providing outdoor and indoor facilities. Each of
these factors was considered in determining the
proposed level of service. Table 3-7 summarizes
facility level of service and the related numbers
of facilities needed. These needs factor in the
desired number and distribution of facilities
across the city, including where new facilities
could be added to new parks.
Residents identified four key outdoor
recreation features they most desired:
additional water play options, dog
parks, pickleball, and pump tracks. In
addition, residents often mentioned the
need for additional comfort amenities
in the form of shade and lighting.
A facility Level of Service (LOS) represents the
number of residents served per each facility.
For example, a soccer field LOS standard
of 6,000 indicates that there should be one
soccer field per 6,000 residents. If the number
of existing residents served by one facility is
greater than 6,000, there are fewer facilities
per population than the standard, which
represents a lower level of service. Corona
adopted LOS standards for recreation facilities
in the 1989 Comprehensive Parks, Recreation,
and Open Space Master Plan. While the 2020
Corona General Plan established a LOS for
parks, it does not provide LOS standards for
recreation facilities.
Proposed facility LOS standards are
presented as targets to guide more detailed
site master planning and facility design.
Actual numbers of facilities developed
may vary based on site opportunities and
constraints, as well as public feedback,
trends, and demographics at the time parks
are renovated or new parks are developed.
2 Corona adopted LOS standards for recreation facilities in the 1997 Comprehensive Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan. While the 2020 Corona General Plan established a LOS for parks, it does not provide LOS standards for recreation facilities. 45 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 46 Table 3-7: Facility Level of Service (LOS) Guidelines and Future Needs * E.g., handball courts, fitness court, shuffleboard, bocce, badminton, horseshoes. Any walled courts should be designed with one flat wall (no sidewalls for handball courts) and positioned so they do not obscure visibility from the street. ** Some bike and skate parks may allow for combined bike/skate uses. *** Pump tracks may be combined with or met with other bike skills course facilities (such as a BMX track). **** While Lincoln Park and Santana Park have playgrounds with inclusive elements, no full universal, all-inclusive playground exists in the community.
Amenity
Category
Facility # Existing
Facilities
Existing LOS Proposed Facility
LOS Target
Additional Need Notes and Potential Locations
Existing Population
(2020)
Net Future Population (2033)
157,136 166,833
Sports Fields Soccer Field 15 1/ 10,476 1/ 9,300 3 Add 2 to Quadrant 1 (i.e., Fairview and Stagecoach Park), and at City Park (Quadrant 2) as part of the Master Plan.
Softball/Baseball Field 32 1/ 4,911 1/ 5,300 -- --
Sports Courts Basketball Court 17 1/ 9,243 1/ 9,300 1 Add 1 court at a citywide or community park in Quadrant 3.
Pickleball Court 12 1/ 13,095 1/ 7,300 11 Add 1 in Auburndale Park per current plans, add 2 each in Quadrants 2 and 3 (in paired sets), reduce the number at Border Park (Quadrant 4) to 2, and add 12-16 as a tournament style facility in a community or citywide park, resulting in at least 2 courts in each quadrant, including 1 quadrant with a tournament style facility.
Tennis Court 19 1/ 8,270 1/ 8,400 1 Reconfigure 1 of the previous tennis courts at Border Park (which was converted to pickleball) back to a tennis court.
Futsal Court - 1/ - 1/ 42,000 4 Add 1 futsal court in each quadrant.
Volleyball Court (or
Multi-use Court)
2 1/ 78,568 1/ 55,700 1 Add 1 volleyball court in Quadrant 3 or 4.
Other Courts* 2 1/ 78,568 1/ 21,000 6 Add 1 other courts in Quadrant 1, 3 other courts in Quadrant 2 (including a handball court at Promenade), and 2 other courts in Quadrant 4.
Loop Walk Loop Walk or Trail 11 1/ 14,285 1/ 11,200 4 Add Loop Walk/Trails at Butterfield, Brentwood, Eagle Glen, and Ridgeline.
Specialized
Opportunities
Dog Park 2 1/ 78,568 1/ 42,000 2 Add 1 dog park in Quadrant 3 and 1 in Quadrant 4.
Wheeled Parks** 2 1/ 78,568 1/ 83,500 0 --
Pump Track*** - 1/ - 1/ 83,500 2 Provide two pump tracks in Corona, dispersed so that approximately half of the community may be served by each.
Water Play 2 1/ 78,568 1/ 21,000 6 Add 1 to Quadrant 1 (Victoria Park) in 2024. Add 1 to Quadrant 2 (City Park).
Provide 1 additional sprayground in each quadrant beyond this, for a total of 2 in each quadrant.
Picnic Areas Picnic Shelter or Group
Picnic Area
27 1/ 5,820 1/ 3,800 18 Add to parks as indicated in Table E-1.
Playgrounds Universal Play Area**** - 1/ - 1/ 166,900 1 Add at City Park or at another centrally located site.
Play Area 28 1/ 5,612 1/ 4,400 10 Add a significantly expanded play area at Butterfield when it is renovated, and add play features to Eagle Glen, Parkview, Jameson, Griffin, and Spyglass Parks (see Table E-1).
Pool Swimming Pool 1 1/ 157,136 1/ 83,500 1 Add a pool as part of the City Park Master Plan. 47 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 48
PROGRAMS, SERVICE,
AND INDOOR FACILITY NEEDS
Corona has become known for its events and
recreation programs including the 4th of July
Celebration, Halloweekend, scheduled classes
and camps, sports league play and activities, and
senior services. Based on community input, existing
resources, providers, and recreation trends, needs
for enhanced recreation opportunities in Corona are
described below.
Recreation and community services programs are
continually evolving and changing. Local changes
in demographics as well as recreational trends
throughout the country impact future planning and
decision making. Key trends and considerations are
summarized below.
Special Events
As noted in outreach findings, Corona’s residents
love the special events that the City provides.
Residents desire more events, fairs, festivals, social
activities, family activities, concerts, arts, and cultural events within the Corona.
General Sports and Fitness
Active programming, sports, and fitness programs
support community health and wellbeing. Based on
the Market Potential Index (MPI)3
, general sports are
popular recreational activities for Corona residents.
Soccer is the most popular activity overall at 34%
higher than the national average. Soccer leagues
and residents have voiced interest in tournament
play for soccer in the community. The City should
consider increasing access to indoor/outdoor soccer
and futsal courts and collaborate/coordinate with
partners to continue to meet the needs of the
community.
As additional sports courts and fields are
constructed, the City should consider two
competing efforts: the distribution of facilities
throughout the community and the potential for
tournament play related to a concentration of
facilities. In general, the distribution of facilities
is a higher priority. However, where the City may
add one or more additional sports courts or fields
to facilitate tournament play in an existing park,
a deviation from the primary priority may be
warranted. If tournament facilities are considered,
they should be accompanied by learn-to-play
programs and skill-building camps, providing
access to youth who may not otherwise be able to
participate in league play.
Zumba and Basketball also had high MPI scores
indicating that access to physical spaces and
more programs to foster these activities would be
beneficial to meeting the needs and desires of
community members.
Nature-Based Programs
As the City expands trails and open space, it
should continue to expand nature-based programs,
building on the guided hike program, launched in
October 2023. A key recreation trend is the growth
of programs that connect people to nature and the
outdoors (to support health and wellness).
Mobile and Self-Directed Recreation
In built-out cities, it may not be affordable or
possible to ensure that all residents have access
to a park within walking distance. Some residents
without close-to-home parks will simply drive to
other private or public parks and recreation facilities.
From an equity standpoint, not everyone has
this luxury. Corona should provide programmatic
recreation opportunities—either temporary,
self-directed, or staffed—in underserved areas.
Examples include pop-up events, temporary
parklets, mobile recreation programs, self-directed
walking circuits and fitness courses, art walks,
little libraries/art boxes, “thinkscapes” and other
elements or activities outside of parks, especially
within Quadrants 1 and 2.
Beginning vs. Advanced/Specialized/
Competitive Programs
Currently the City offers many recreation programs
that introduce people to new types of activities.
These “learn to play” classes and activities support
skill-building, socializing, and fun. Most cities
find broad community benefits in supporting
introductory programs to foster healthy lifestyles
and lifelong learning. However, the City should
distinguish between programs that offer more
individualized benefits (competitive/advanced
programs) vs. serve the common good. Activities
and programs that offer individualize benefits
include sports leagues, intermediate or advanced
sports academies and camps, athletic training,
sports competitions, academic enrichment, STEM/
STEAM camps, tours, and travel, etc. While it is
common for park agencies to prioritize “Beginner
Level Activities,” the more advanced/specialized
activities typically have higher cost recovery rates
and generate more revenue. Therefore, the City of
Corona needs to find the right balance between
beginning and advanced/competitive programs to
support financially sustainability.
Facility Utilization, Programming,
and Partnerships
An analysis of the recreation capacity, use, and
program participation by site and major facility
revealed that many of the City’s major facilities are
underutilized or not well programmed—in part
because of their design limitations and functionality,
but also given the limited staff and resources
available to successfully activate various spaces.
Several sites serve limited numbers of participants.
Others offer only one type of program. Some
facilities are only operated seasonally and closed for
much of the year. Others have rooms and spaces
that are not easily accessible, not highly desirable
for rentals/reservations, and consequently used
primarily for staff space and storage.
Bright spots for recreation facility use include
programs such as:
• Senior Center programming by City staff and
contracted staff
• Circle City Center programs, activities,
reservations, and rentals
• Sports field programming by sports leagues
(through field reservations)
• Auburndale pool operations by the YMCA
• Use of the Historic Civic Center by partners
through lease agreement
Separate from the investment in new programming
spaces and indoor facilities anticipated to be built
at City park (see below), the City would need to
make a substantial investment in its recreation
programming staff and in facility updates to
improve the use of existing facilities and offer a
greater variety of programs. Efforts should focus
on the Senior Center, Circle City Center, and
Auburndale Community Center, Pool, and park.
Outdoor programs in parks are needed as well.
Simultaneously, the City should expand partnerships
and continue to have partner organizations operate
facilities, since this has been successful in activating City buildings.
Facility/Recreation Center Design Needs
The City’s existing indoor recreation facilities/
community centers are located in scattered
locations in a variety of buildings that have been
acquired over time, most of which are smaller
spaces not suited for active recreation. A new,
consolidated community center is needed
to support multi-generational and multi-use
recreational activities with space for active
recreation, social gatherings, and lifelong learning
opportunities. The community center planned for
City Park will provide a consolidated and efficient
hub for community gathering and recreation
programming. To meet community needs for indoor
space and diverse programming, a new recreation
center should have the following characteristics: 3 The 2023 MPI, provided by ESRI, represents the expected demand for sports and leisure activities for adults ages 18 and over residing in Corona. The data are based on consumer behavior or purchasing patterns for Corona residents as compared to patterns for residents across the nation.
49 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 50 • Multipurpose, Multigenerational, with
Consolidated Operations. Multipurpose
facilities incorporate recreation, health and
wellness, youth development, community
meetings/gatherings, and social engagement
opportunities. Nationally, recreation centers
have grown larger to incorporate more multigenerational, multi-purpose space for all ages and diverse interests. This allows families the
opportunity to engage in different recreation
activities simultaneously. Furthermore, these
larger flexible-use buildings with various types
of activity and social spaces can more easily
accommodate changing recreation and social
preferences. More programming and activities
can be provided at a single site, making for
greater staffing efficiency and operational costeffectiveness. • Inclusive and Accessible. Special attention
should be given to accessibility and design
and programmatic features that create more
inclusive spaces. These include but are not
limited to providing wide hallways, more
family-style restrooms, universal elements and
equipment, and inclusive activities.
• Indoor-Outdoor Spaces. To provide the most
ongoing flexibility for the facility and the entire
site, the recreation center design should be
planned in conjunction with adjacent park and
outdoor facilities to support indoor/outdoor
programming. Some centers include large
doors that open to outdoor patios so that
indoor activities can spill outdoors.
• Market-based Development and Operations.
The facility should be guided by an operations
proforma and business and programming
plan to determine how the City will operate it.
Conducted in advance of facility development,
this will allow the building to be customtailored to the needs of its constituents or target market to help ensure that the facility
supports revenue-generating activities and
programs that will help off-set operations
costs. An operating pro forma should identify
operational costs, revenue streams, and feebased programs.
Staffing, Resources and Financial Sustainability
As the City increases programs and expands or
builds new facilities, it will need to evaluate staffing needs to organize, facilitate, and host programs
and maintain facilities that will have higher use—
even if partners or contract staff provide the
program. When designing and operating City
Park, Community Services will need a team of
recreation staff to strongly program the buildings
and park to attract new users, diversify recreation
programs in the city, serve more ages, and increase
financial sustainability. Additional resources may be
needed, as well as decisions on how to streamline
or potentially divest scattered existing facilities
(through lease, renovated for non-recreation uses,
or other means).
HEALTHY
CLEAN
SOCIAL
51 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY NEEDS 52 4GOALS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter defines the City’s vision, standards for excellence, goals, and key initiatives/recommendations for parks, recreation facilities, trails, programs, and related services.
Corona’s vision and priorities create a framework for the implementation strategies and recommendations that support improvements, enhancements, and investment throughout the City’s parks and recreation system.
This chapter identifies community priorities and aspirations for Corona’s parks and recreation facilities, programs, and events, including:
• Our Vision
• Standards for Excellence
• Goals and Objectives
• Key Systemwide Initiatives
• Implementation Recommendations
Together, the vision, standards for excellence; goals and objectives; systemwide initiatives; and implementation recommendations provide overarching direction for the development, enhancement, and ongoing management of City parks, recreation facilities, programs, and services. Supporting details are presented in Appendix D (Design Guidelines), Appendix E (Recommendations), Appendix F (Financial Sustainability), and Appendix G (Recreation Programs and Facilities).
OUR VISION
Through the 2021-2026 Corona Strategic Plan, the City of Corona adopted the following vision to guide City services: The City of Corona will be a safe, vibrant, and family-friendly community.
Community services related to parks and recreation are integral to this vision. Well-maintained parks provide sound infrastructure and safe community spaces that ensure safe and vibrant places for sports, community gatherings, and many other recreation activities. Well-designed parks and quality programs embody the vibrant spirit and heritage that create Corona’s sense of place and identity. Our lifelong enrichment opportunities support the health and wellbeing of families—including the children, parents, grandparents, and many other residents in our community. By attracting people to our citywide parks, sports complexes, festivals, and community celebrations, parks and recreation support the resiliency and economic vitality of our city. Parks and recreation are foundational to community livability and support the wellbeing of everyone in our city.
STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan seeks to ensure all residents have access to high-quality parks, green spaces, and recreation opportunities. To achieve this high standard, decisions for parks and recreation programs will be evaluated for:
• Quality to ensure excellence at a level that adheres to national and statewide standards; • Consistency to ensure the same level of service and experience across the City; and • Sustainability to ensure services and programs can be sustained in the short and long term. 55 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 56
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan is centered around eight goals and objectives that will guide Corona’s provision of parks, recreation, and related services for the next ten years and beyond.
1. GOAL: HIGH-QUALITY PARKS AND
FACILITIES
Objective: Ensure high-quality parks
and recreation facilities across our
community.
2.GOAL: MAINTENANCE
CONSISTENCY
Objective: Ensure consistent
maintenance of parks and recreation
facilities across our community.
3.GOAL: ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL
Objective: Ensure all residents have
access to parks, recreation programs,
and facilities that inspire memorable
experiences.
4.GOAL: IMPROVED HEALTH AND
WELLNESS
Objective: Ensure the parks and
recreation system fosters community
health, wellness, and active
lifestyles.
5. GOAL: ENVIRONMENTAL
ENHANCEMENTS
Objective: Ensure parks incorporate
green infrastructure, nature, flexible
spaces, and a healthy tree canopy.
6.GOAL: STRONG COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIPS
Objective: Ensure meaningful
community participation through
engagement, volunteerism, and
partnerships.
7. GOAL: INCORPORATE CULTURE
AND HISTORY
Objective: Ensure parks and recreation
facilities create a sense of identity that
is reflective of the City’s culture, history,
and natural environment.
8.GOAL: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Objective: Ensure the wise allocation
of funds to support long-term parks
and recreation investments and
programs.
1. EXPAND THE PARK NETWORK
2.UPGRADE EXISTING PARKS
3.ENHANCE THE PARK USER EXPERIENCE
4.ENSURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
5. IMPROVE RECREATION PROGRAMS (TO ENCOURAGE
HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND COMMUNITY CULTURE)
6.MAINTAIN AND MANAGE ASSETS
7. SUSTAIN PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICES
8. IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS THROUGH
ACCOUNTABILITY AND PARTNERSHIPS
KEY SYSTEMWIDE INITIATIVES
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan recommends eight key systemwide initiatives to support the achievement of the Plan’s goals:
Each of these initiatives are described below, followed by strategic actions to implement each initiative.
57 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 58 GOALS: HIGH-QUALITY PARKS AND
FACILITIES AND INCORPORATE
CULTURE AND HISTORY
1. Initiative: Expand the Park Network
Corona has a unique opportunity to expand the
park network. Based on the 2020 population
of Corona, the City’s parkland level of service
(LOS) is 2.4, meaning there are 2.4 acres of
parkland for every 1,000 residents. With newly
acquired parkland and opportunities to repurpose
detention basins for parkland use, the City’s
parkland LOS is anticipated to increase to 4.0
acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents. This
increase in parkland, along with Trails Master
Plan implementation and additional creative new
parkland opportunities, will facilitate access to
parks, recreation facilities, programming, and
trails within a 10-minute walk from home for
Corona residents.
2. Initiative: Upgrade Existing Parks to
Enhance the Variety of Recreational Amenities
Whereas level of access to a park space or
recreational facilities and trails often dictates
frequency of use, the variety of things to do
and level of comfort often dictate the things
people do at a park and their length of stay.
Corona’s existing park amenities vary dramatically
throughout the system, with some providing
diverse opportunities and comfort levels, and
others lacking important amenities.
Recommendations for existing parks focus on
adding facilities to meet the criteria required for
that park type, based on the Acquisition, Design,
and Development Guidelines in Appendix D,
and enhancing recreation variety throughout the
system. In addition, the community engagement
process for the PRMP identified a communitywide need for four specific amenities:
• additional water play options,
• dog parks,
• pickleball, and
• pump track(s).
Recommendations for these desired amenities
are summarized in the Reommendations Section,
with additional details provided in Appendix E
(including the analysis that led to site-specific
recommendations). New improvements (both
those identified at specific sites and systemwide
enhancements) are intended to enhance
recreation variety and the park experience, and
extend beyond basic site reinvestment (asset
management and replacements at the end of
facility lifecycles) which is described under the
Maintain and Manage Assets Strategic Initiative.
GOALS: HIGH-QUALITY PARKS AND
FACILITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL
ENHANCEMENTS
3. Initiative: Enhance the Park User Experience
Support amenities play a critical role in creating
high-quality parks. Throughout the community
engagement process, a key need was highlighted
for shade in Corona’s parks. Site audits revealed
that many benches and seating are not shaded
and few playgrounds provide adequate shade.
Shade protection will help extend the life of
playgrounds and amenities, avoiding premature
aging caused by direct sun. A combination of
shade structures and trees are recommended,
and more strategic stands of trees could be
added in larger parks to enhance the park
atmosphere. In addition, the community noted a
need for additional lighting in many parks, both
to support extended recreational use and to
enhance a sense of safety.
GOAL: ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL
4. Initiative: Embrace Opportunities for All
As noted in the Chapter 3 (Community Needs),
different parts of Corona vary considerably
in terms of demographics as well as park
amenities (including park age/condition). The
PRMP identifies recommendations to provide
consistency in provision of amenities and services
throughout the community, so that all residents in
Corona have easy access to high-quality park and
recreation options.
To comprehensively identify disparities, needs,
and opportunities throughout Corona, the City
was divided into four quadrants. The proposed
park system presented in Map 4-1 on the next
page (which includes adding parks to fill gap
areas that are outside of a 10-minute walk to
a park as well as a strategic reinvestment in
existing parks) reflects the following quadrantbased recommendations that every quadrant should have:
• At least one community park.
• At least one multi-use park.
• At least one special use site, open space park,
or trail access.
In addition, the City embraces opportunities for
all through additional multigenerational activities,
a focus on filling gaps in the system for recreation
of older children and teens, and planning for
people with disabilities to actively participate in
the park system.
GOAL: IMPROVED HEALTH
AND WELLNESS
5. Initiative: Improve Recreation Programs
Parks provide space for Corona residents to
come together across neighborhoods, cultures,
and experiences to enjoy a variety of organized
and self-directed recreational activities and feel
a sense of place and community. People value
the City’s programs and events for the variety of
opportunities they provide, whether learning a
new skill, participating in a sport, or attending
community events.
Community input provided as part of the
planning process affirmed that Corona’s residents
love the special events that the City provides,
including Halloweekend, the annual Fourth of
July celebration, and the Summer Street Fairs,
to name a few. These events provide community
building opportunities and bring us closer
together. As its first priority, the City should
seek to expand its community-wide events and
festivals, as well as smaller partner-led group
events in parks that are aligned with the goals of
the PRMP.
Given community interests, the City’s
programming strengths, and facility availability,
the PRMP recommends that the Community
Services Department should expand outdoor
activities, sports and fitness (indoor and
outdoor), aquatics, and arts and culture. To do
this sustainably, the City will have to re-evaluate
existing facility use. Many of the City’s indoor
facilities and pools are underutilized, old, worn,
outdated, and/or not well-designed for recreation
uses. As the City embarks on developing a new,
purpose-built community center at City Park, the
City should look for opportunities to consolidate
existing programs and services at this new facility
and consider re-purposing underperforming and
inefficient facilities where programs are currently
housed or leasing these spaces out to other
entities.
A thorough analysis of Corona’s current recreation
services suggests fee adjustments should be
made to increase programming efficiency and
effectiveness before new services are added. The
City should also streamline programs to better
focus on its service strengths, coordinate with
partners in other areas, and improve marketing
and program promotion to make residents more
aware of the programs offered by the City. Over
the next 10 years, the City should explore ways
to build on existing partnerships, develop metrics
to enhance efficiency, and continue to ask the
residents for their input to keep programming upto-date and relevant. 59 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 60 Proposed Park and
Recreation System
Airbus,USGS,NGA,NASA,CGIAR,NCEAS,NLS,OS,NMA,Geodatasty
and the GIS User Community, City of Corona, County of Riverside, California State Parks
Last Updated: 1/24/2024 11:09 AM
0 ½ 1
Mile
Parmenter
Park
Ted Brooks Park
Sundance
Park
Pacer Park
Norco Hills Park
CITY OF
NORCO
COMMUNITY OF
EL CERRITO
CLEVELAND
NATIONAL
FOREST
CHINO HILLS
STATE PARK
CITY OF
CHINO HILLS
CITY OF
RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
COUNTY OF ORA
PRADO
REGIONAL PARK
LAKE
MATTHEWS
ESTELLE
MOUNTAIN
RESERVE
OINDRANREB NAS F OYT NUOC
Fairview
Park Stagecoach
Park
Parkview Park
River
Road Park
Rock Vista
Park
Promenade
Village Park
Tehachapi
Park
Cresta
Verde Park Contreras Park
City Park
Ridgeline
Park
Serfas Club
Park
Victoria
Merrill Park Park
Joy Park
Husted Park
Brentwood Park
Kellogg
Park
Lincoln Park
Ontario
Park
Mangular
Park
Border Park Santana Park
Buena Vista
Park
Rimpau Park
Citrus
Mountaingate Park
Park
Lemon Heights
Basin Park
Chase
Jameson Park
Park
Eagle Glen Spyglass
Park
Park
Historic Civic Center
Circle City
Center
Auburndale
Park
15 91
El Cerrito
Sports Park
Oxbow
Park
Sheridan
Park
YMCA at
Merrill
Corona Senior
Center
Corona Public
Library City Hall South Park
VAC
Civic Center Gym
Gilbert
Basin Park
Skyline Site
Sierra Bella
Park
Taylor
Basin Park
Chase Drive
Basin
3 2
4 1
River Rd
Magnolia Av
E Gran
Bl
d
W
Grand
Bl
W Ontario Av
N Mckinley St
E Ontario Av
Magnolia Av
Green River Rd
W Sixth
St
N Main St
E Sixth St
S Lincoln Av
Temescal Canyon Rd
S Main St
Eagle Glen Py Cajalco
Rd
Other Public Parks and Open Space
Schools
Bus Routes
Bike Routes
Hiking Trails
Water Feautures
City of Corona
County Boundaries
City of Corona Parks
Citywide Park
Community Park
Neighborhood Park - Multi-Use
Neighborhood Park - Basic
Pocket Park
Special Use Site
Open Space Park
Undeveloped Parkland
Map 4-1
* New parks or open space developments
*
*
*
*
**
**
**
61 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 62 GOAL: MAINTENANCE CONSISTENCY
6. Initiative: Maintain and Manage Assets
Maintenance and asset management are critical
components to ensuring a high-quality park
experience today and in the future. Historically,
Corona has been constrained in available funding
to support the maintenance and replacement
of facilities as they reach the end of their useful
life. With the adoption by voters of Measure X in
2020, additional funding has become available
to address routine and deferred maintenance
throughout the community.
All parks require some level of maintenance
to take care of amenities, facilities, and
landscaping. However, parks with higher levels
of use, specialized facilities, reservable facilities,
and organized programs/events typically
required a greater level of maintenance. Sites
with substantial natural resources may need
specialized care for natural resources in addition
to the routine maintenance for developed park
areas.
Recommendations included in this section
consider the level of maintenance that developed
park areas should receive (standard or enhanced)
after completion of improvements (on existing
parks) or after it is developed (for new parks).
It also indicates where sites have extensive
undeveloped or natural areas that require a
different type and frequency of maintenance
(natural resource stewardship).
For each site, the PRMP recommends the level
of maintenance that developed park sites
should receive (standard, enhanced, or natural
resource stewardship), to ensure that new and
existing parks are kept clean, green, and in
good condition. All sites receive at a minimum a
standard level of care to maintain developed and
natural areas.
Some sites also receive a greater level of
maintenance as noted below.
• Standard: The standard level of maintenance
includes monitoring, inspection, and care of
recreation facilities, park amenities, natural
resources, and landscaping for all parks
with regular use. This includes routine and
preventative maintenance, plus routine hazard
monitoring, and basic landscaping care
stewardship and beautification for landscaping,
trees, and other natural resources.
• Enhanced: Enhanced maintenance is needed
at highly visible, heavily used sites that include
specialized assets, recreation programming,
or events. These sites receive priority during
peak use times, as well as special attention for
set-up and clean-up following reserved uses,
programming, and events.
Maintenance levels are largely determined by
the park type; however, certain facilities within
parks, such as activity buildings, game-quality
sports fields, and reservable spaces would require
enhanced maintenance levels. Sites with extensive
natural resources may require additional attention
to natural resource stewardship, restoration, or
management. See Appendix E (Tables E-1 and
E-7) for site-specific maintenance levels and a
more detailed description of maintenance tasks
associated with the maintenance levels.
A key implementation action calls for an asset
management plan, which is a data-driven detailed
plan for identifying, evaluating, and managing
park assets in order to deliver and maintain
a standard of excellence. The Corona parks
system includes hundreds of existing assets
and new assets will be brought online based
on recommendations of the PRMP. Through an
asset management plan, a clear schedule for
review, maintenance, and replacement can be
established, as well as estimates of repair and
replacement costs moving forward.
GOAL: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
7.Initiative: Sustain Parks
and Recreation Services
There are two facets to sustainability:
environmental and financial. Corona strives to be
both environmentally and financially sustainable
as portrayed through its parks system.
Environmental Sustainability
The City of Corona embraces sustainability to
ensure a long-lasting quality of life for residents.
Not only are parks and the urban forest key
components of Corona’s green infrastructure, they
also support ecological health, biodiversity, and
climate resiliency. Greening in parks and public
spaces can also support improvements in mental
health and physical health through relief from
heat-island effects and improved air quality.
Through the Climate Action Plan Update (CAP
Update, 2019), the City has established goals
and policies that incorporate environmental
responsibility into the everyday management of
its community operations. The City’s sustainable
landscaping practices balances goals for water
conservation, maintenance costs, and aesthetics.
Ongoing stewardship of the natural resources
at the City’s borders fosters biological diversity
while offering residents access to nature every
day. Recommendations continue these efforts
and consider new ways to implement sustainable
actions in parks moving forward.
Financial Sustainability
To achieve the vision of the PRMP, the City must
consider financial sustainability an integral part of
decision making for parks and recreation. As part
of the PRMP planning process, a comprehensive
analysis was undertaken to identify service areas,
beneficiaries of service categories, and the
existing cost of parks and recreation services.
This analysis led to the development of a
proposed financial sustainability strategy
(including cost recovery goals for each service
category) as well as action steps moving forward.
For full details, including definitions of
service categories, see Appendix F (Financial
Sustainability Strategy).
Service Categories
Corona’s programs and services are organized
into the following eight service categories:
• Open Access Services
• Community Health and Wellbeing Services
• Signature Events
• Drop-In Activities
• Partnered Specialized Community Events
• Skill Based Activities
• Education/Enrichment Services
• Reservations
Beneficiaries of Service
To set a construct for making informed and
defensible pricing decisions, City staff and Parks
and Recreation Commissioners collaboratively
worked to answer the question, “Who is
benefiting from the service the City is providing?”
Following this concept, staff and Commission
members ranked each service category, with
the category aligning most with the definition
of “common good” and progressing along the
continuum to the category aligning with the
definition of “individual benefit”. By ranking all
service categories in this manner, Corona can
identify those services that should justifiably
receive the greatest subsidy (serving the common
good) to those that may receive little to no
subsidy (providing individual benefit).
63 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 64 As Corona continues in its ongoing quest to be
responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and
accountable to its residents, a recommended
Parks and Recreation Financial Sustainability
Strategy (Appendix F) provides the financial
parameters to guide future decision making,
with greater subsidy applied to items serving
the common good and less or no subsidy for
those services that provide individual benefit.
Recommended cost recovery goals are included
in Appendix F: Financial Sustainability Strategy.
GOAL: STRONG PARTNERSHIPS
8. Initiative: Implement Recommendations
through Accountability and Partnerships
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan is a longrange planning document intended to guide decisions about parks, recreation, and community
services over the next 10 years and beyond.
Implementation of projects will depend on the
availability of funding sources. Outside sources of
funding may be necessary, especially for highcost items. Actions, projects, and initiatives will be advanced incrementally. Some are relatively
simple to move forward, while others are highly
complex and may be contingent on the outcomes
of other efforts or initial phases. A full set of
action items is included to outline the next steps
to set the City on a path to implementation of the
systemwide initiatives.
RECOMMENDATIONS
SYSTEM-WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
The key systemwide recommendations below
are intended to support improvements, enhancements, and investment across the City’s parks and recreation system. Realistic and achievable
implementation actions must consider funding
availability and needs. (Actions are numbered for
ease of reference, but do not appear in priority
order.)
A: EXPAND THE PARK NETWORK
A1. Parks Level of Service. Provide parkland at
a minimum level of service of 4.0 acres per
1,000 residents.
A2. 10-Minute Walk. Provide access to parks,
recreation facilities, and programming, or
trails within a 10-minute walk (1/2 mile) from
home.
A3. New Parks: Develop new parks to expand
the City’s level of service, diversify recreation
options, and make recreation options more
accessible to residents.
a. Oxbow Park. Master plan, design, and
develop the Oxbow Park.
b. Detention Basin Conversions. Plan, design
and develop the Lemon Heights, Taylor,
and Gilbert detention basin properties as
neighborhood parks.
A4. Trails Master Plan Implementation. Support
development trail alignments in the Trails
Master Plan:
a. In urban areas: Establish an identifiable
and user-friendly network of urban trails or
fitness circuits in priority gap access areas
that leverage the City’s extensive street
network, building from Trails Master Plan
Proposed Trail Alignments, and creating
closed loops where feasible.
b. Near natural areas: Increase connectivity
to trails in the Cleveland National Forest,
the predestined Santa Ana River Trail
on the westerly end of Corona, and
connectivity with the Butterfield Overland
Trail as noted in the City’s 2023 Trails Plan
Master Plan, and prioritizing trails that
improve park access and support off-street
trail recreation opportunities.
A5. Creative Parkland and Innovative
Recreation Options. Identify creative new
parkland and recreation opportunities,
especially within and near priority access
gap areas in Quadrants 1 and 2. Consider
repurposing other sites and facilities, adding
recreation to other public infrastructure
(e.g., detention basins, utility corridors, and
the ground of other public buildings) and
providing temporary recreation options (e.g.,
parklets, temporary facilities such as play
equipment, or mobile recreation programs).
B: RENOVATE EXISTING PARKS TO EXPAND
RECREATION
B1. Site-Specific Recommendations. Implement
the Site Specific Recommendations for
addi-tional recreational facilities and support
amenities throughout the system, as outlined
in Appendix E, Table E-1. Provide added
attention to renovating the three sites noted
below to better address community needs.
a. City Park. Implement the City Park Master
Plan to re-envision, enhance, and develop City Park in accordance with the City Council approved masterplan and a new
operations plan, as funding allows.
65 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 66 b. Brentwood Park. Transition Brentwood
Park from a Neighborhood Park to
a Community Park by adding more
diverse recreation options and organized
programs.
c. Griffin Park. Convert Griffin Park to a
neighborhood park by adding more
diverse recreation options.
B2. Facilities Level of Service. Over time, add
facilities to achieve the minimum levels of
service noted in Table E-5 (Appendix E).
B3. Systemwide Enhancements. In addition to
the site specific recommendations listed in
Appendix E, Table E-1, diversify and enhance
recreation across the park system through the
addition of the following:
a. Splash pads: Provide a total of eight
splash pads citywide, with two located
in each quadrant. One splashpad will
be added to Quadrant 1 (Victoria Park)
in 2024. One splashpad is proposed in
Quadrant 2 as part of City Park renovation.
Provide four additional splashpads, so that
each quadrant will have two, for a total of
eight citywide.
b. Dog parks: Provide a total of four dog
parks in Corona, with one located in each
quadrant. To that end, add a dog park
in both Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4. If
a dog park is located near the city limits
rather than in a centralized location, a
second dog park in that quadrant may be
warranted.
c. Pickleball courts: Provide one tournamentstyle pickleball facility with 12-16 courts as well as smaller scale (paired courts) in
each quadrant, for a total of approximately
23 courts citywide. To that end, develop
one pickleball overlay on the tennis courts
in Auburndale Park; add two paired
pickleball courts in Quadrants 2 and 3;
relocate 8 pickleball courts (leaving 2)
currently located at Border Park to a
citywide or community park that meets
minimum established criteria, including
distancing from residences and provides
adequate spacing and amenities for a
tournament style facility, and engage with
the local pickleball community to assess
support features and key considerations
for design and development of a
tournament-style facility.
d. Bike pump tracks: Provide two pump
tracks in Corona, dispersed so that
approximately half of the community may
be served by each and providing features
that differ at the two locations to increase
variety and to respond to site conditions
as determined in construction documents.
Quadrants 1 and 3 have been preliminarily
identified, as they contain larger parks
that may accommodate this use; however,
locations will be based on future identified
site capacity and may alternatively occur in
other quadrants.
e. Universal, all-inclusive playground: Add
a large universal, all-inclusive destination
play area. Ideally provide it in a centralized
location, but it may be located where
space is available in a citywide or
community park. Consider providing this
in City Park or Santana Park when existing
play structures are replaced.
B4. Facilities Updates. When replacing facilities,
avoid “like-for-like” replacements. Use the
PRMP Acquisition, Design, and Development
Guidelines (Appendix D), facility level
of service standards, and site-specific
recommendations to guide decisions and
incorporate trends in facility replacement.
Ensure that best practices and current and
future recreation needs are addressed.
Consider not only location when adding new
sports courts (per Recommendation D1), but
also efficiencies of scale to allow for recleague level tournament play.
B5. Major Facilities: Expand indoor
programming space and aquatics by
adding a new aquatics facility and multigenerational, multi-purpose recreation and community center at City Park. Design
and program these new facilities to meet
new Financial Sustainability goals, creating
an operational pro forma and business
plan during the design process to build in
operational efficiencies. Prior to opening
these facilities, evaluate the uses and
programming of other existing facilities
to determine future uses and investment/
divestment and partnership strategies.
B6. Flexibility. Integrate flexibility into site
design by:
a. Designing fields, courts, and spaces to
be flexible, such as creating open turf
areas for events, sports, and general play
or multipurpose sports fields and courts
that are lined for different sports to meet
changing demand.
b. Providing multi-generational, multiuse recreation centers with space for active recreation, and fitness, arts and
culture, community meetings, and social
gatherings.
c. Increasing sports options by providing
lighted, multi-use fields, sports fields
with overlays, and designated fields that
respond to needs for year-round play.
d. Look for opportunities to retrofit existing
facilities to serve multiple interests and
needs.
e. Allow flexibility and adaptability of spaces
to change with shifts in recreational preferences, users, and community needs. 67 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 68 B7. Community Engagement. Implement sitespecific recommendations in consultation with surrounding neighborhoods. This
community engagement can build on the
recommendation with local input on the type
of sports court to install, for example, where
a new sports court is called for. In addition,
many sites call for new challenge features
and activity stations (such as ping pong
tables, fitness zones, etc.) which will require
local input on the individual site level.
C: ENHANCE THE PARK USER EXPERIENCE
C1. Overall User Experience. Improve the
overall user experience at all park and
recreation facilities through the provision
of amenities that address comfort, safety,
connection, identity, character, and variety.
C2. Urban Forest. Protect and expand tree
cover and other shade features to improve
community health by minimizing heat and
direct sun exposure through implementation
of the Urban Forestry Master Plan. Pursue
reforestation to restore the 14,000 vacant
trees wells throughout Corona. Identify
priority reforestation areas based on public
health and safety, air quality, environmental
justice, and urban heat islands. Prioritize tree
plantings in parks as identified in the City’s
Urban Forest Management Plan.
C3. Shade. Prioritize shade (trees and/or shade
structures) to provide comfort for seating
areas and playgrounds. For playgrounds:
a. Use a combination of shade covers and
trees to provide coverage of equipment.
b. When full coverage is easily achievable
and economical, use a multi-panel
structure to keep the area open.
c. Install shade as playground equipment
is replaced or integrate shade into playground design. d. Consider adjacent seating areas for
caregivers and provide shade accordingly.
e. Identify locations in citywide or community
parks where strategic stands of trees could
be added to enhance park atmosphere
and provide additional tree canopy.
C4. Lighting. Integrate lighting for safety in
parks. Use lighting where appropriate
to extend the recreation use of outdoor
facilities in community parks, citywide parks,
and special use parks. Provide additional
lighting to support use of parks in evening
hours and enhance sense of safety, including
pedestrian-scale lighting near walking loops
and lighted sports fields and courts (where
appropriate) to extend play.
C5. Public Safety Audits. Conduct public safety
audits every three years to determine areas
with the highest levels of crime/intervention
needs.
C6. Context Sensitivity. Select new park
and recreation amenities that preserve
and interpret the City’s natural resources,
landmarks, urban tree canopy, and historical
and cultural features and identify themes for
future facility development or revitalization
such as play-grounds that link to the City’s
history, heritage, or to other locational
characteristics.
D: EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
D1. Distribution. Add park and recreation
amenities in a manner that distributes
recreation options throughout the
city (by quadrants) consistent with the
recommendations in Appendix E (Tables E-2
and E-3) and ensure that each quadrant has:
a. At least one community park.
b. At least one neighborhood multi-use park
(or alternatively, more than one community
park).
c. At least one special use site or open space
park.
D2. Prioritization. Prioritize projects that
address gaps in service and park experience
deficiencies, as identified within this PRMP,
and future investments that enhance
and expand recreation opportunities in
communities of concern, areas with the
greatest park needs, and communities
experiencing significant population growth/
changes.
D3. All Ages. Expand recreation options for all
age groups.
a. For young children: Continue to provide
play features for young children, and layer
in variety wherever possible.
b. For older children and teens: As part of
implementation of recommendations in
Appendix E, where challenge features
and activity stations are recommended,
consider the types of facilities and spaces
that appeal to teens. Include lounge-like
seating for groups, a sense of enclosure
while maintaining visibility for safety, and
playable but not kiddish elements, like
hammocks, swings, and climbing features.
c. For adults and seniors: As part of
implementation of recommendations in
Appendix E, consider placement and
amenities to install in conjunction with
walking loops; for example, add benches
and locate loops near parking areas.
d. Consider multigenerational activities, skill
building, connecting with nature, and
other opportunities to improve wellbeing
for all age groups.
D4. ADA. Continue working towards systematic
completion of Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) compliance upgrades in Corona’s
parks, updating parking paths of travel,
restrooms, and playground surfacing at the
following parks as noted by year:
a. 2024: Auburndale, Contreras, Cresta Verde,
Ontario, Ridgeline, and Victoria;
b. 2025: Border, Brentwood, Fairview, Kellogg,
Sheridan, and Tehachapi;
c. 2026: Husted, Lincoln, Mangular, Rimpau,
Serfas Club, Spyglass, Stagecoach, and Village;
d. 2027: Buena Vista, Butterfield, Chase, City,
Eagle Glen, Jameson, Parkview, River Road
and Rock Vista;
e. 2028+: Other parks as needed.
E: IMPROVE RECREATION PROGRAMMING
E1. Communitywide Special Events. Foster
community cohesion by offering more
69 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 70 community-wide special events. Review
and revamp the City’s calendar of signature
community events to clarify the City’s role,
determine potential partners, and identify
opportunities to celebrate diverse cultures.
To better support event coordination, explore
the option of forming a special event unit
within the Community Services Department.
Ultimately, these events should be designed to
instill a sense of pride and social connection.
E2. Partnerships. Expand programs and events
through partnerships, ensuring reciprocal
benefits for the City and its partners. Allow
partners to take the lead on program areas
that serve their strengths, such as supporting
the School District and YMCA in leading youth
development and childcare programs.
E3. Diversity. Ensure that program and event
planning meet the needs and interests of a
diverse mix of ages, cultures, and community
interests.
a. Focus youth activities on youth enrichment
and recreation, including aquatics, sports,
arts and culture, enrichment and play
programs.
b. Expand the City’s ability to address the
diversity of older adult and senior needs,
ranging from active 55+ residents to seniors
with mobility and service needs in advanced
ages. Renovate the Senior Center to expand
events, socials, and passive programs.
Consider and test the provision of more
active and varied programs for older adults
(including cooking, dance, indoor pickleball,
tai chi, arts and crafts, etc.) at a multigenerational facility that targets a multigenerational audience.
E4. Program Variety: Enhance the quality of
programs provided by the City to support
indoor and outdoor recreation, lifelong
learning, skills development, health and
wellness, sports and fitness, and arts and
culture. In addition, consider:
a. Coordinating with other City initiatives to
expand STEAM and innovation programming, such as investing in additional arts and crafts, a programmed maker space, and
creative job skills training.
b. Expanding nature interpretation and trailbased recreation, such as volunteer led hikes to help residents become familiar with
trail and open space opportunities in the
community.
E5. Mobile Programming. Create and roll-out
a mobile programming initiative, including
a purchase of mobile programming van and
amenities, with priority implementation at
different sites (apartment complexes, city
facilities, schools, and other partner locations)
in high health vulnerability areas without
access to a park within a 10-minute walk.
E6. New Facility Operations: In planning new
facilities or when substantially renovating
existing facilities, consider facility capacity and
the full scope of operations early on with a
comprehensive business and operations plan.
a. For each new major facility (e.g.,
community center, swimming pool),
prepare a business and operations plan
that determines the final facility location;
facility type, scale, and features; building
program; construction budget; and
operational costs (and potential revenue) to
minimize the operational funding required.
b. The business and operations plan should
factor in agreements with potential partners
who may contribute to capital or operating
costs.
c. Following completion of the business
and operations plan, design, bid, and
construct the facility.
d. Expand staffing as called for in the
business and operations plan and open/
operate the new facility to increase
program offerings and rely less on facility
rentals and reservations. Gradually ramp
up recreation activities to create a fullservice recreation programming space that buzzes with community activity.
e. Identify ways to repurpose
underperforming and inefficient facilities
where pro-grams were previously housed
or lease these spaces out to other entities.
E7. Existing Facility Activation, Staffing,
and Operations: Invest selectively and
strategically in existing major recreation
facilities (e.g., Senior Center, Circle City
Center, Auburndale Community Center and
Swimming Pool) and in recreation staffing,
equipment and materials to fully activate
and program key indoor and outdoor spaces
based on their capacity to offer a greater
variety of programs and services.
E8. Affordability: Maintain program affordability
while improving financial sustainability.
Set fees based on the full targeted cost
recovery rate and use scholarships, credits for
volunteerism, fee waivers, or similar measures
to ensure programs are affordable for those
in need. (See Recommendation G1.)
E9. Ongoing Evaluation. In conjunction with
financial sustainability strategies outlined in
Recommendation G1, track participation in
existing activities, regularly survey community
members, and engage staff to brainstorm
possible new activities. Adjust program
offerings accordingly and evaluate through
regular performance metric reviews. The
2023 Programs Survey indicated high interest
(in descending order) for: Cooking, Arts and
Crafts, Outdoor Activities, Life Skills, and
Yoga and Wellness.
E10.Program Promotion. Conduct more directly
targeted marketing by different means (both
traditional and media based) to reach hardto-reach groups, including seniors and teens.
Get the word out about program offerings
to increase enrollment and achieve target
enrollment rates. Develop “on demand”
registration capabilities to provide onsite
registration or reservations at parks, fields, or
facilities.
71 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 72 F: MAINTAIN AND MANAGE ASSETS
F1. Maintenance Strategy. Ensure that all
parks, recreation facilities, and trails are wellmaintained. a. Proactively anticipate and schedule routine
maintenance tasks, task frequencies, and
staffing needed to take care of City parks
and facilities.
b. Create a maintenance management plan
to guide the long-term maintenance of
parks and trails. This plan will identify the
maintenance tasks, frequencies, staffing,
and resources needed to manage and
maintain facilities and landscaping.
c. Implement the maintenance tiers
identified in the PRMP to align
maintenance efforts with varying levels of
park use, visibility, and the presence of
specialized amen-ities and facilities.
d. As the park system evolves with additional
parks, more programming, and more
intensive use, add maintenance staff
proportionally to provide consistent care to
respond to the additional programmed use.
F2. Asset Management Plan. Enhance
the condition of parks and facilities by
implementing an asset management plan.
Continue to invest in capital assets and
develop replacement schedules for facilities
in parks, including buildings, restrooms,
playgrounds, sports courts, fields, park
signage, and accessible walkways.
F3. Fields. Conduct an athletic field condition and
maintenance assessment of the City’s natural
turf fields and upgrade fields to high-quality
natural turf standards. Consider irrigation systems, drainage improvements, field use and ongoing maintenance standards, slope, multiuse functions, etc. Transition to utilizing a field maintenance contractor that that will work
with the City staff on conducting field audits
and provide the maintenance needs for each
upcoming fiscal year.
F4. Playground Safety. Engage a Certified
Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) in
regularly reviewing playground and play
facilities conditions and replace or update
where needed, adopting a 10-year capital
replacement schedule.
F5. Courts. Establish a court resurfacing program
for existing and future sports courts, to
refresh and replace as features nearing the
end of their lifecycles.
F6. Urgent Maintenance Tasks. Add flexible
maintenance staff or contracted staff teams
who can respond to maintenance issues
prioritized by safety needs and urgency,
so that “urgent tasks” do not preempt the
routine maintenance required in all park sites.
F7. Dedicated Emergency Maintenance
Funding. Maintain an annual dedicated
funding allocation to have funds on
hand when needed to repair or replace
landscaping, infrastructure, facilities, and
equipment. Set aside sufficient funds for
issues associated with plumbing, electrical,
irrigation, maintenance equipment,
fabrication, and construction management.
G: SUSTAIN PARKS
AND RECREATION SERVICES
G1. Financial Sustainability Strategy.
Implement the Financial Sustainability
Strategy presented in Appendix F to guide
future decision making, including:
a. Evaluate all programs in light of cost
recovery goals to guide the provision
of recreation programs and reduce
unwarranted subsidies. Identify where it
may make sense to explore partnerships
if duplication exists, and where there may
be opportunities to divest and redistribute
resources in order to close service gaps
or reinvest saved resources into the larger
park, recreation, and library system (e.g.,
infrastructure investment). Recommended
focus areas for preliminary analysis include
those services that are furthest from their
cost recovery goals, senior center services,
and reservations.
b. Evaluate all major facilities (e.g., buildings
and pools) based on their programmatic
uses to ensure they are meeting financial
sustainability goals. Use this information
to determine the return on investment
when planning to renovate key facilities.
Repurpose, divest, or lease to partners
major facilities that do not meet financial
sustainability goals. Consider all facilities
in light of the new facilities anticipated for
City Park.
c. Reevaluate pricing for programming and
reservable facilities consistent with cost
recovery goals, with higher costs charged
to services that are benefiting individuals,
and lower costs for those serving the
common good. In the event a service
category’s cost recovery goal is higher
than current cost recovery performance,
prices may need to be raised incrementally
based on market conditions. If the market
does not support the fee increase, the City
may want to discontinue the service to be
able to sustain funding for other programs
and services.
d. Establish success metrics as a means to
evaluate whether or not each service
is in compliance with established cost
recovery/subsidy investment goals
and other intended outcomes/City
goals. Multiple success metrics may be
implemented and could include:
i. meeting a service category cost
recovery goal
ii. being operationally efficient with
attendance rates nearing at least 75
per-cent of maximum capacity
iii. participant satisfaction
iv. alignment with community values
outlined in the PRMP
e. annually review cost recovery
performance and update cost recovery
goals at least every five years, or more
frequently as necessary.
f. Consider opportunities for reinvestment
as revenues increase, to improve service
levels in areas such as asset/infrastructure
maintenance and achieving consistency
in access to quality parks and recreation
services throughout the community.
G2. Environmental Sustainability. Incorporate
ecological and sustainable best practices
in the maintenance, management, and
development of open space, parks, and
recreation facilities.
a. Implement the City of Corona Climate
Action Plan (2019) and consider long-term
climate adaptation strategies to prepare
parks and natural resources for future
climate change.
b. Conduct energy and water audits for all
parks and recreation facilities and retrofit
for energy efficiency.
c. Integrate solar panels, and other
renewable energy sources, into the design
for new facilities and retrofits.
d. Evaluate all projects for opportunities to
implement green stormwater infrastructure and to increase water conservation. 73 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 74 positioned to enhance the City’s available
recreation opportunities as a managing
partner. The City should include the YMCA in
any discussions around future building/facility
design they may eventually manage early
in the process to identify efficiencies and
modifications.
H8. ABC Hopes. Formalize the partnership with
ABC Hopes to support adaptive recreation,
fitness, and athletic programming to provide
more inclusive and/or specialized recreation
opportunities.
H9. Partnership Policy. Develop a
comprehensive partnership policy to guide
protocols for establishing park and recreation
partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit entities. Ensure partners are adequate licensed and bonded. Create partnerships
that are mutually beneficial to both parties.
SITE-SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATIONS
Site recommendations are presented in full in
Appendix E. Cumulatively, along with systemwide
recommendations for additional facilities (also
included in Appendix E), this information is used
to estimate costs related to proposed capital
projects and maintenance and presented in
Chapter 5.
H: IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
THROUGH ACCOUNTABILITY AND
PARTNERSHIPS
H1. PRMP Implementation. Adopt and regularly
update the PRMP to guide the provision and
management of parks and recreation facilities
to meet community needs.
a. Conduct a parks and recreation needs
assessment and update the PRMP every
ten years.
b. Create a strategic plan every five years
to redefine action items, roles, and
responsibilities to achieve PRMP initiatives.
c. Create a level-of-service report card to
annually track and report on progress in
achieving the City’s parkland standards.
Consider using a digital dashboard to
provide transparency.
d. Use the prioritization tools included
with the PRMP to evaluate potential
opportunities to improve or expand the
park and recreation system.
H2. Follow Design Guidelines. Design and
develop parks consistent with the PRMP
Acquisition, Design, and Development
Guidelines (Appendix D), facility level
of service standards, and site-specific
recommendations, balancing the need
to provide close-to-home recreation
opportunities with needs for larger parks
that have spaces for specialized and unique
recreation options.
H3. Community Engagement. Conduct
strong, community-driven engagement
in conjunction with the implementation
of all major capital improvements and
programming modifications to plan for and
accommodate local needs.
H4. Volunteer Stewardship. Continue to
support and expand volunteer involvement
by retaining and recruiting volunteers, park
stewards, and advocates, guided by the
Volunteer Program Coordinator.
H5. Partnership Network Meeting. Conduct
a partnership network meeting to begin
the process of relationship-building and the
complete cataloguing of the types of services
currently provided throughout Corona by
all organized recreation providers. This
gathering should focus on:
a. Analysis of the competitive landscape and
identifying organizations that compete for
like or similar markets to those of the City.
b. Identification of opportunities to pursue
collaborative efforts through partnerships
that lead to efficient and effective use of
resources.
c. Opportunities to continue relationship
building across partners.
H6. School District. Continue the formalized
partnership with the School District. The
Corona-Norco Unified School District
(CNUSD) is a major partner in providing
fields and afterschool childcare in Corona.
Together with CNUSD, the City can continue
to meet the demand for afterschool childcare
at the elementary school level and can
eventually grow to meet the needs of families
with middle school students. Continuing this
partnership could also increase the available
facility space needed to accommodate
summer camp programs that can be held at
CNUSD sites.
H7. YMCA. Expand a formalized partnership
with the YMCA. It is important to consider
the long-term vision of this partnership which
can enhance community benefits in health
and wellness, youth development, and
aquatics programming. As an industry-leader
in all three categories, the YMCA is well75 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76 5PRIORITIES AND
IMPLEMENTATION
This chapter presents capital and maintenance costs, prioritization criteria, and potential funding strategies to create a short-term implementation plan.
A substantial investment in existing and new parks and facilities is needed to achieve the community’s vision for parks and recreation.
Creating and maintaining a system of highquality parks, green spaces, and recreation opportunities will require a long-term funding
commitment by the City. This chapter
summarizes the capital and maintenance costs
associated with the recommendations outlined
in Chapter 4, tools to prioritize projects, and a
10-year implementation plan based on realistic
expectations of available funds.
Recommendations in Chapter 4 represent longrange, proposed guidance, which will be vetted further through design and budgeting processes
before implementation.
PARK INVESTMENT
The City’s parks and recreation system is well
loved by the community but has experienced
wear and tear over the years. To ensure that
the City can reinvigorate existing parks and
facilities and maintain the high-quality facilities
and services recommended in this PRMP, a clear
investment plan is warranted. The City has made
significant progress in recent years to reinvest in
existing parks and has identified major initiatives
(such as the City Park renovation), which would
transform the park system. This also requires
the City to think strategically about prioritizing
projects using available funding to create a
realistic implementation plan that can be carried
out over the next ten years.
Appendix H provides planning-level cost
estimates associated with Master Plan
recommendations. These estimates are based on
order-of-magnitude costs to assist in evaluating
and prioritizing projects for future consideration in
the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Costs
are in 2023 dollars not accounting for inflation.
Recognizing the volatility of pricing and supply
chain issues, these costs are intended to provide
general guidance for project planning. Actual
costs will vary from these estimates. Most costs
will be further refined when site master plans and
construction documents are created, prior to site
development or renovation.
Note: These numbers reflect order-of-magnitude costs in 2023 dollars not accounting for inflation. These planning-level costs are intended to assist in evaluating and prioritizing projects for future consideration in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Actual construction costs will vary. See table H-4 in Appendix H for additional detail.
Appendix H includes costs for all
recommendations noted in Table E-1 in Appendix
E. However, it does not include costs for
trailhead development, which will be calculated
separately as part of the Trails Master Plan.
Not included in these estimates are the staffing
and operations costs to better activate and
program existing recreation facilities and/
or operate the new indoor and outdoor
programming spaces anticipated to be
developed at City Park. Increased recreation
operations and programming costs could
require a subsidy—with actual dollars and
cost recovery rates affected by decisions
made in implementing the new Financial
Sustainability Strategy. More accurate
facility and programming costs should be
identified when the recommended business
and operations plan is completed. The total
planning-level capital cost for implementing
the improvements recommended in Chapter 4
and Appendix E is approximately $269 million
(Table 5-1; for more detail see table H-4 in
Appendix H), which includes the estimated
cost of redeveloping City Park. If the entire
park system was built out as recommended,
slightly more than $6 million annually would be
necessary to maintain the system.
Asian/Pacific Islander, 13% Other, 2%
Project Type Estimated Capital Costs Estimated Annual
Maintenance Costs
Existing Park Sites $240,858,000 $5,868,000
Proposed New Park Sites $13,008,000 $183,000
Systemwide (Non-Site Specific) $15,547,000 N/A
TOTAL $269,413,000 $6,051,000
TOTAL $269,413,000 $6,051,000
TOTAL CAPITAL AND
MAINTENANCE COSTS FOR
RECOMMENDED PROJECTS
$269,413,000
Total Capital Costs
$6,051,000
Annual Maintenance Costs
(after sites are improved,
acquired, or developed)
Table 5-1: Capital and Operations Cost Summary
79 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 80 Neighborhood
Parks Multi-Use
CAPITAL PROJECT COSTS
Capital costs represent one-time costs to acquire,
develop, build, or renovate park infrastructure
and features. Because some funding sources are
restricted in the type of expenditures they can
support, it is important to consider capital costs
separately from operations costs. The capital cost
estimates shown in the PRMP reflect the current
(higher-than-normal) development costs that park
agencies are seeing in 2023.
Consistent with the City’s priority to invest in
existing parks throughout the system, the greatest
cost is associated with upgrades to existing
parks (Figure 5-1), representing at least 89% of
total costs. In addition, the systemwide (non-site
specific) recommendations will also largely occur
within existing parks, resulting in an estimated
95% of costs occurring in existing parks. The
greatest investment by park type, looking at both
existing and proposed parks combined, is in
Citywide Parks (Figure 5-2).
Different parts of Corona vary dramatically
in terms of demographics, amenities, and
the physical look and structure. Through the
community engagement process of developing
the PRMP, a priority emerged to focus investment
and visible results in geographic areas that
have historically received less investment, have
higher deferred maintenance, and also have
higher health vulnerabilities. As indicated in
Chapter 3, a quadrant-level analysis reveals that
Quadrants 1 and 2 are more densely populated
and have higher poverty levels, more renter
households, and more young children and
teenagers than Quadrants 3 and 4. Figure 5-3
summarizes the distribution of recommended
capital improvement projects by quadrant, with
the highest investment planned for Quadrant
2, which will include City Park renovation. Table
5-2 shows the geographic distribution of the site
recommendations.
Figure 5-1: Capital Cost Breakdown for Existing and Proposed Parks Figure 5-2: Capital Cost Breakdown for Parks by Park Type Figure 5-3: Capital Cost Breakdown by Quadrant
1 23% 49%
13%
15%
2 3
4 Community Parks
Citywide Parks
Open Space Parks
Systemwide
Neighborhood
Parks Basic
Existing Parks
Sites
$210,000,000
$160,000,000
$110,000,000
$60,000,000
$10,000,000
Proposed New
Park Sites
Capital Investment
5% 6%
Systemwide
(Non-Site Specific)
Pocket Parks
Special Use Sites
89%
81 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 82 Quadrant
Design Guideline Recommendations Park Experience Assessment Recommendations Totals and Distribution
Sports FieldsSports CourtsChallenge Facility/Activity StationLoop Walk/TrailPicnic Area/ShelterPlay Area/PlaygroundArt/Culture/Interpretive Features Restrooms ParkingShade*Design Guideline Recommendations Subto-talShade/covered area**Rest area/seatingAttractive features/landscapingWelcoming entry(ies)Reflect community characterUnique landscape/ natural featuresDesign theme/ brand/color paletteSustainabilityVaried recreation optionsUnique recreation featuresActive vs. passive recreationFlexible/multi-use facilitiesPark Experience Assessment Recommenda-tions SubtotalTOTALSPercent of all Recommendations 1 2 4 6 2 5 1 1 2 1 6 30 - - - - 8 7 8 6 5 4 1 1 40 70 31% 2 - 4 6 - 4 1 1 2 - 4 22 1 - - 3 7 1 6 6 5 4 - 2 35 57 25% 3 - 5 3 1 4 4 2 - - 4 23 1 1 1 - 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 22 45 20% 4 - 5 8 1 5 2 - - - 4 25 1 - - - 6 3 5 3 2 5 - 2 27 52 23% Total 2 18 23 4 18 8 4 4 1 18 100 3 1 1 3 24 13 21 18 14 16 3 7 124 224 100% Percent of all
Rec’s
1% 8% 10% 2% 8% 4% 2% 2% 0% 8% 45% 1% 0% 0% 1% 11% 6% 9% 8% 6% 7% 1% 3% 55% 100% Notes:
* Shade recommendations indicate missing recreation or support amenities for each site. These deficiencies were identified by comparing existing features for each park to the Park Acquisition, Design, and Development Guidelines (Appendix D) for the pertinent park classification. ** Shade recommendations indicate low scoring experience scores based on the 2022 Park Experience Assessment. These are not directly related to the design and development guidelines but instead identify shade amenities that need improvement, enhancement, or replacement.
Table 5-2: Master Plan Recommendations (Count) by Quadrant 83 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 84 Cumulatively, the Master Plan recommends
adding throughout the community 224 recreation
and enhancement features, as summarized
in Table 5-2. To add and incorporate more
activities that appeal to youth and young adults,
challenge features are proposed to be added
throughout the system. These features can range
from small to large, depending on site size and
available space, and could include outdoor
fitness equipment, climbing spires and interactive
sculptures that allow climbing or play, zip lines,
parkour courses, bike pump tracks, etc. Additional
picnic shelters and picnic areas are recommended
consistently across quadrants. More shade,
both in the form of trees and shade sails/
structures, is proposed throughout the system.
Recommendations also call out added elements
to parks that better reflect neighborhood identity
and culture, as well as a clear design theme.
Table 5-3 provides more detail on the various
components of costs. For major park reenvisioning projects, a site-specific master plan process will be necessary. Significant
enhancement is proposed through site-specific
recommendations, including special projects such
as City Park and systemwide facilities additions
(e.g., spraygrounds, dog parks, pump tracks,
pickleball and shade).
* Appendix E provides guidelines by park classification to guide park acquisition, design, development, renovation, and park investment needs across Corona. Included in these guidelines are prioritized recreation elements for each type of park. The missing elements identified in this table have been refined based on concurrent or previously planned park improvement activities. ** Replacement costs are based on the Replacement Reserves Report Capital Costs estimated for the 2021 Parks and Facilities Inventory and Assessment Project for 2024 to 2033.
Site Type
Acquire/Develop Improve/Enhance Special
Projects
Repair/
Restore
AcquireMaster Plan or DesignDevelop ParkRecommended Additions (Design Guideline Deficiencies)*Recommended Improvements (Park Experience Deficiencies)Unique/Other ProjectsAsset Replacement ** TOTAL
Existing Park Sites - $0.3 - $34.1 $54.9 $105.3 $46.3 $240.9 Proposed New Park
Sites
- $0.6 $7.1 $4.7 - $0.6 - $13.0
Systemwide (NonSite Specif-ic)- - - - - $15.5 - $15.5
TOTAL - $0.9 $7.1 $38.7 $54.9 $121.5 $46.3 $269.4
Table 5-3: Capital Costs by Recommendation (Dollars in Millions) 85 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 86 Community Parks
Citywide Parks
Open Space Parks
Neighborhood
Parks Basic
Neighborhood
Parks Multi-Use
Pocket Parks
MAINTENANCE COST
Maintenance costs represent the estimated annual
amount needed to maintain parks (both existing
and new parks when developed) once the parks
system is built out as recommended. All sites should
receive, at a minimum, a standard level of care to
maintain developed and natural areas. Some sites
also will receive an enhanced level of maintenance.
• Standard: The standard level of maintenance
includes monitoring, inspection, and care of
recreation facilities, park amenities, natural
resources, and landscaping for all parks with
regular use. This includes routine and preventative
maintenance, plus routine hazard monitoring,
and basic stewardship and beautification for
landscaping, trees, and other natural resources.
• Enhanced: Enhanced maintenance is needed
at highly visible, heavily used sites that include
specialized assets, recreation programming,
or events. These sites receive priority during
peak use times, as well as special attention for
set-up and clean-up following reserved uses,
programming, and events.
Maintenance levels are largely determined by the
park type; however, certain facilities within parks,
such as activity buildings, game-quality sports
fields, and reservable spaces will require those
parks overall to receive enhanced maintenance
levels.
Costs for all sites are based on a per-acre
estimates. For most sites, the site cost is based
on the acreage of the entire site. Maintenance
cost estimates for Oxbow Open Space Park
reflect standard maintenance level costs
calculated for 25% of the total site acreage, as
one-quarter of the site or less is anticipated to
be developed. Additional funds may be needed
for natural resource stewardship, restoration, or
management.
As indicated in Figure 5-5, in general the most
visible and highly use parks (community parks and
citywide parks) will require enhanced maintenance
and management. Neighborhood parks with
special features, such as a dog park, also require
enhanced maintenance.
Figure 5-4: Maintenance Annual Cost Breakdown
Figure 5-5: Maintenance Annual Cost Breakdown by Park Type Standard Maintenance
$1,795,000
Enhanced Maintenance
$4,256,000
Total Annual Maintenance
$6,051,000
Special Use Sites
87 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 88 Obtain approval
from City Council
Receive feedback
from Parks
and Recreation
Commission
Assign project
values based on
prioritization
criteria
1 2 3
Proposed Project or Program Name
Criteria Check Score
STEP 1: ALIGNMENT WITH PRMP GOALS
Does the proposed project address one or more of the following Parks and Recreation Master Plan Goals?
Check if Yes 1 point each
High-Quality Parks and Facilities: Ensure high-quality parks and recreation facilities across our community.
Maintenance Consistency: Ensure consistent maintenance of parks and recreation facilities across our community.
Accessibility for All: Ensure all residents have access to parks, recreation programs, and facilities that inspire memorable experiences.
Improved Health and Wellness: Ensure the parks and recreation system fosters community health, wellness, and active lifestyles.
Environmental Enhancements: Ensure parks incorporate green infrastructure, nature, flexible spaces, and a healthy tree canopy.
Strong Community Partnerships: Ensure meaningful community participation through engagement, volunteerism, and partnerships.
Incorporate Culture, History, Heritage: Ensure parks and recreation facilities create a sense of identity that is reflective of the City’s culture, history, and natural environment.
Financial Sustainability: Ensure the wise allocation of funds to support the common good, economic vitality, and park investment.
STEP 2: ALIGNMENT WITH PARK SYSTEM REALITIES
How well does the proposed project address the following criteria? Check if Yes 2 point each Funding Availability: Does the project use or leverage available resources (staffing, funding, grants, partnerships, equipment)? Level of Service: Does the project help achieve Level of Service (LOS) guidelines for the amount of facilities across the entire park system? Park Equity/Accessibility: Does the project serve a large number of people or affect a popular, high-use facility?
Community Impact: Does the project add a use that is desired by the community that does not exist currently (or within that quadrant)? Ongoing Maintenance: Can the project be consistently maintained to quality standards with existing resources.
City Priority: Does the project coincide with or support another City project or City Council initiative?
Check if Yes 4 points
Upgrade Existing Park: Does the project add facilities or repair existing facilities at an existing park that has had deferred maintenance?
TOTAL SCORE
IMPLEMENTATION
The City of Corona, like all other jurisdictions,
has limited capital and operational resources for
reinvesting and sustaining the parks and recreation
system. The capital costs—and associated operations
cost—presented in this Master Plan exceed what the
City will be likely to implement in the next ten years.
PRIORITIZING PROJECTS
RECOMMENDED IN THE MASTER PLAN
City staff assigned priority levels (0-3 years, 4-6
years, and 7-10 years) to projects recommended
in the Master Plan. Many projects, given available
funding levels, were not included in this initial
prioritization for funding during the 10-year period.
The Parks and Recreation Commission provided
feedback on the preliminary prioritization, prior to
approval by City Council.
PRIORITIZATION TOOL
To assist the City in focusing on priority projects, the Master Plan introduces a clear evaluation process
for evaluating and prioritizing recommended capital
projects. Using clear and understandable criteria helps the City to make transparent, consistent decisions
about which projects to move forward first. Since this
Master Plan cannot anticipate all project needs as
circumstances change over the next ten years, this
evaluation framework will help vet new projects as
they arise. This framework will also help to ensure that decisions are grounded in the community’s needs and
reflect the PRMP’s goals and objectives.
The determining factor for how many projects and
initiatives can be moved forward is available funding.
A secondary and highly important factor is the
related staff capacity to implement the projects.
Though additional staffing can be brought on
for special projects, the overall capacity to plan,
manage, and implement projects has a limit. The
criteria in this section provides a method to prioritize which projects or initiatives should move forward
first, based on both funding and staff capacity.
Every proposed action should be consistent
with the goals of this Master Plan. The decisionmaking criteria (Table 5-6: Evaluation Worksheet) is designed to help staff analyze the proposed project
or initiative. Projects that satisfy multiple decisionmaking criteria and substantially move projects toward the PRMP goals should be prioritized.
In some cases, information may not be readily
available for staff to make an adequate evaluation.
In these cases, staff may obtain additional data by
meeting with local experts, conducting regional or
national research, or recommending conducting a
specific technical study.
Projects that are aligned with multiple PRMP
goals are important. However, projects that meet
multiple decision-making criteria are most likely
to be implemented more quickly. For this reason,
decision-making criteria is weighted more heavily.
Final scores should be used to sequence capital
projects in annual capital improvement planning
and budgeting.
The Evaluation Worksheet (Table 5-6) on the next
page is designed to help staff determine if new
project proposals should move forward. New
projects that are proposed should be evaluated
using this worksheet.
Table 5-6: Evaluation Worksheet
89 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 90
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The PRMP recommends numerous actions to
expand, improve, and maintain the Corona parks
and recreation system. With the realities of limited
funding, priority projects must be identified
for implementation over the next ten years.
Recommendations take into consideration the
PRMP goals and objectives; the park or facility’s
function within the overall system; the design
guidelines and facility considerations contained
in the PRMP; opportunities identified during the
PRMP planning process; and decision-making
criteria included in the Master Plan.
The Implementation Plan is intended to be
dynamic, updated periodically to reflect changing
circumstances and opportunities. Note this 10-
Year Implementation Plan does not include capital
and maintenance costs associated with trails and
buildings. For more information, see Table H-4 in
Appendix H.
Projects in the implementation plan were prioritized
based on the CIP Criteria Score (see Table 5-6:
Evaluation Worksheet) and the Park Assessment
Score (discussed in Appendix B), which determines
park user experience based on safety, comfort,
connections, character, and varied recreation. Parks
with a higher CIP Criteria Score and lower Park
Assessment Score were generally given higher
priority and assigned to the Short Term (1-3 years)
and Mid Term (4-6 years) project groups. The
Systemwide Improvement projects were prioritized
based on project need and funding availability.
Projects are listed in no particular order and can be
implemented at any time during the designated
timeframe.
The City Park project description and capital costs
are estimates based on information in the City Park
Master Plan. The final scope and cost of the project
is subject to change and will be determined through
the design process.
Future Capital Cost Each Term Ongoing
Project Project Description Total Capital
Cost
Quadrant Park
Assessment
Score
CIP
Criteria
Score
Existing CIP Short Term
(1-3 years)
Mid Term
(4-6 years)
Longer
Term (7-10
years)
Future Unfunded
(11+ years)
Estimated
Added Annual
Maintenance
& Operations
Costs
Butterfield Park To increase recreation variety, add sports court; connect and create walking loops with mileage markers or other signage and seating. Add picnic tables and amenities to activate the historical rotary pavilion or make better use of picnic area on north side of the site. At the end of its lifecycle, replace the current play area with a larger thematic play area that potentially could be relocated to be more centrally located near gathering areas or areas with seating. Picnic and play areas should be shaded. Parking lot improvements are needed, particularly for unpaved lots. (West parking lot design is included in the FY24 CIP).
$9,797,000 1 4.8 22 $4,722,000 $5,075,000 $718,000
Sheridan Park There is an opportunity to add a greater variety or more unique recreation features. $2,710,000 1 5.9 22 $250,000 $2,460,000 $31,000 Serfas Club Park Add a multi-use sports court and active use/challenge amenity. $4,506,000 4 5.1 19 $553,000 $3,953,000 $87,000 Village Park To contribute to recreational variety and park character, add a unique sports court, active use/challenge amenity, and restrooms. Add shade features over play and picnic areas and shade trees along walking path. $5,606,000 2 5.5 19 $591,000 $5,015,000 $69,000
River Road Park For recreational variety and for more efficient use of the site, add a multi-use sports court and an active use/challenge amenity. Increase shade by replacing the picnic area pergola and adding shade to the play area. Redesign existing water features with conservation in mind and to improve the aesthetics of the park. Add publicly accessible restrooms. $3,015,000 1 5.9 18 $940,000 $2,075,000 $74,000
Promenade Park Add shade over sports fields, seating areas, and play areas. At the end of the basketball court’s lifecycle, replace the two half courts with one full court.
At the end of its lifecycle, replace and relocate the playground closer to parking areas for visibility and safety. Activate open turf area with shaded seating/gathering areas or informal sports fields.
$1,881,000 2 6.1 24 $1,046,000 $835,000 $230,000
Ridgeline Park For recreational variety and for more efficient use of the site, add a multi-use sports court, a walking/fitness loop and a play area, and activity station.
Longer term, add a family-size or small-group shaded picnic area in place of the two tables and a pergola that provides limited shade. $2,256,000 4 6.5 23 $641,000 $1,615,000 $66,000
Border Park The volleyball, tennis, and pickleball courts are separated from the park by Border Ave and visibility/connections are affected due to elevation changes. Playground equipment is included in the CIP FY24. Add a small, shaded group picnic area and variety through a unique activity or challenge feature to support a clearer design theme for the park. $3,380,000 4 6.4 23 $350,000 $3,030,000 $36,000
Rimpau Park To add variety and activity, add a sports court, activity station, and a group picnic area with shade. Add additional shade cover/trees in the turf area, better connections to the residential area to the north of the park, and more benches throughout the park. $2,767,000 2 6.2 21 $427,000 $2,340,000 $62,000
Brentwood Park Renovate and program park over time to function like a community park with more diverse recreation options and organized programs. Add a medium or large-group picnic shelter. In time, improve the existing backstop and basketball courts to support sports and active uses. Expand and replace the play area to provide a thematic equipment. Add a walking loop trail. Preserve the lawn for neighborhood events. $6,100,000 1 5.8 18 $1,150,000 $4,950,000 $225,000
Spyglass Park To add variety and activity, add a sports court, activity station, and a group picnic area with shade. There is an opportunity for stormwater collection and educational opportunities to support Woodrow Wilson Elementary School next door. $2,581,000 3 5.8 17 $301,000 $2,280,000 $68,000
Park View Park Design and develop this site as a welcoming, multi-use neighborhood park, integrating a design theme that reflects the desired character for this site. Add play equipment, a multi-use sports court, and a centralized family-size or small group shaded picnic area. Add another use as per design guidelines to support varied recreation options.
$4,252,000 2 5.8 12 $567,000 $3,685,000 $84,000
Chase Park Chase Park has minimal features and amenities. Shade cover is present at play structure but not at seating areas. There are no direct connections to adjacent Santiago High School or homes. There is an opportunity to add more features and amenities, including a sports court, shade over seating areas and a group shaded picnic area, active uses such as a challenge feature or activity center, and additional lighting. An existing walkway dead ends without conclusion; these new uses could help the park feel more finished. $4,096,000 3 5.2 16 $496,000 $3,600,000 $68,000
Crest Verde Park Cresta Verde has scattered stand alone picnic tables with minimal shade. Add covered picnic areas to support small group picnics, as well as an active use/challenge amenity to diversify recreation options. At the end of its lifecycle, replace the half court with a full-size sports court. $4,501,000 2 5.8 18 $463,000 $4,038,000 $69,000
Future Capital Cost Each Term Ongoing
Table 5-7: 10-Year Implementation Plan
91 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 92 Project Project Description Total Capital
Cost
Quadrant Park
Assessment
Score
CIP
Criteria
Score
Existing CIP Short Term
(1-3 years)
Mid Term
(4-6 years)
Longer
Term (7-10
years)
Future Unfunded
(11+ years)
Estimated
Added Annual
Maintenance
& Operations
Costs
Buena Vista Park Add a multi-use sports court and activity station. Add shade amenities such as sails over the existing play area. Incorporate water-saving features and drought tolerant landscaping.
$4,623,000 4 6.1 21 $713,000 $3,910,000 $127,000
Kellogg Park Kellogg Park has some shading with large mature trees located at the entrance of the park. Add shade to the play area. Add or consolidate picnic tables to provide for a small group picnic area, with shade. Consider ways to highlight the tennis courts and activate the rear corner of the park. $1,762,000 2 6.5 15 $712,000 $1,050,000 $62,000
Mangular Park The Corona Department of Water and Power operates a drinking water blending facility under the tennis courts in Mangular Park to maximize the use of local groundwater supplies. In conjunction with adding a shaded picnic area and more variety through a challenge facility or activity station, the blending facility presents an opportunity for sustainability branding and education. $3,281,000 4 6.1 18 $491,000 $2,790,000 $49,000
Fairview Park For recreational variety and for more efficient use of the site, add a soccer/multi-use field, a multi-use sports court, a walking/fitness loop and a play area, and activity station. Longer term, add a family-size or small-group shaded picnic area in place of the two tables and $4,813,000 1 6.2 16 $180,000 $4,633,000 $70,000
Jameson Park Jameson Park has minimal features and amenities. Add amenities, including a sports court, picnic areas with shade, a play area, and other activities to add interest and activity to an underutilized park.
$6,074,000 3 5.8 10 $974,000 $5,100,000 $171,000
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park has many mature trees, a unique wooden play area and new fitness equipment added in FY23 to the fitness loop. For variety, add a sports court and small picnic area.
$1,298,000 1 6.8 22 $348,000 $950,000 $76,000
Tehachapi Park Tehachapi Park has mature trees at play areas, along walking paths, and at the edge of the park. The outer walking loop is well used by walkers, dogs, and strollers. Update the restroom to add sinks and add activity stations/a challenge feature for variety. $3,600,000 2 6.6 19 $390,000 $3,210,000 $39,000
Ontario Park Add shade (structures or trees) to the play area, as well as shaded seating around the walking loop. Integrate fitness equipment and interpretive signage or trail mile markers
$1,118,000 1 7.8 17 $523,000 $595,000 $64,000
Santana Park To add additional recreation variety, integrate sports courts; enlarge the small, covered picnic area to accommodate park users during peak activity times. Consider integrating public art.
$7,740,000 3 7.6 18 $1,150,000 $6,590,000 $777,000
El Cerrito Park This site is a well-functioning sports park with multiple fields and courts. Consider adding public art, consistent with the sports theme, to brand this site as a Corona sports park.
$4,109,000 3 17 $2,000,000 $2,109,000 $429,000
Husted Park Add a challenge feature and activity stations, such as a climbing wall, adult sized swings, and other uses targeted for teens. Add shade structures or trees.
$960,000 1 6.7 12 $960,000 $0 $44,000
Stagecoach Park Support the small/young trees to mature and provide enhanced shade. Add shade sails over or near the play area. Explore options to add a multi-use sports field and court. The existing park has a larger play area with three separate but adjacent play area pads. Replace one of the pads with an active use challenge amenity. Add shade amenities to benches/seating areas near play area, along walking loop seating, or in underused parts of the park such as the grassy areas within the walking loop.
$5,398,000 1 6 21 $298,000 $5,100,000 $128,000
Joy Park Maintain Joy Park as a small pocket park with seating, a historic marker, and landscaping/palm trees. Remove the small barbecue located next to the picnic table. Long-term, consider replacing turf with sustainable, drought-tolerant plantings. $179,000 2 6.4 5 $179,000 $0 $2,000
Contreras Park Maintain this pocket park for its sustainable drought-tolerant plantings. $5,000 1 6 4 $5,000 $0 $2,000 Merrill Park Maintain this site for its seating, turf and palm trees. Seating is provided on a bench and two picnic tables. Remove the small barbecue located next to the picnic table. Long-term, consider replacing turf with sustainable, drought-tolerant plantings. $157,000 1 6.6 4 $157,000 $0 $3,000
Rock Vista Park Add interpretive signage of plants and covered/shaded seating circle. Continue to maintain the landscaped areas, soft surface loop path, and community painted rock garden, providing opportunities for nature access and adventure play. The restroom is locked and the outdoor faucet has no water; restroom access should be restored.
$2,180,000 2 6.9 9 $680,000 $1,500,000 $137,000
Citrus Park To add additional recreation variety, add sports courts, a small and medium group picnic shelter or area (with at least one covered). Improve shade around splash pad. Enhance walking paths with added support amenities such as benches and signage. $3,917,000 3 7.4 24 $2,467,000 $1,450,000 $327,000
Eagle Glen Park To increase recreation variety and further activate path use, connect existing walkways and create a perimeter walking loop path with seating, signage or mile markers, ideally with cultural or historic reference related to the community or local history. At the end of its lifecycle, replace the play equipment with a larger thematic play area that includes seating and shade. Add additional shade trees and provide shade over seating, picnic areas, and/or open areas.
$6,769,000 3 6.6 22 $1,519,000 $5,250,000 $221,000
Sierra Bella Park For recreational variety, add an active use/challenge amenity or activity stations. $1,650,000 4 6.8 16 $1,650,000 $30,000 Victoria Park Add spray ground (planned in FY24 CIP), a family-size or small-group shaded picnic area, and an active use challenge amenity to diversify. Ensure that outdoor restrooms are open and publicly accessible, especially when the spray ground is opened. $1,594,000 1 6.5 22 $1,594,000 $0 $30,000
Mountain Gate Park Improve the playground as noted in the FY24 CIP. When replacing or upgrading amenities, identify sustainable approaches related to material, water usage, etc.
$4,604,000 4 7.9 24 $4,314,000 $290,000 $351,000
Future Capital Cost Each Term Ongoing
93 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 94 Project Project Description Total Capital
Cost
Quadrant Park
Assessment
Score
CIP
Criteria
Score
Existing CIP Short Term
(1-3 years)
Mid Term
(4-6 years)
Longer
Term (7-10
years)
Future Unfunded
(11+ years)
Estimated
Added Annual
Maintenance
& Operations
Costs
Auburndale Park Renovate site to expand park use, organized programming opportunities, and ADA accessibility. As noted in the FY24 CIP, renovate the exterior open space to include two new tennis courts, a pickleball court, half basketball court, new restrooms, patio covering and seating area, new playground, DG walkway with benches and fitness stations, and drought tolerant planting. $5,009,000 1 5.9 20 $1,769,000 $3,240,000 $33,000
Griffin Park Beginning in FY24, add a playground, lighting, camera, and walkway, making ADA improvements throughout. (See FY24 CIP). In addition, look for opportunities to add shade and a small sports court or active use element, such as outdoor fitness equipment. Add signage to enhance ease in access/findability.
$2,810,000 2 7.5 20 $2,810,000 $0 $215,000
Skyline Site Create a plan that identifies the types of improvements and amenities to include at Skyline, while stewarding and protecting the site’s natural resources. The plan will be developed by city staff and include public engagement and surveying with Corona residents and the neighboring community. Specific features of the site and project costs will be dependent on the outcome of the planning process. $643,000 4 $643,000 $0
Oxbow Park Create a plan that identifies the types of improvements and amenities to include at Skyline, while stewarding and protecting the site’s natural resources. The plan will be developed by city staff and include public engagement and surveying with Corona residents and the neighboring community. Specific features of the site and project costs will be dependent on the outcome of the planning process. $2,525,000 4 $2,525,000 $79,000
Taylor Basin Park Design and develop the site into a Neighborhood Park - Basic, including a small shaded group picnic area, a play area with natural elements, activity stations, and if feasible while also allowing for detention basin uses to continue, a sports court. $3,744,000 4 $3,744,000 $36,000
Lemon Heights Basin
Park
Design and develop the site into a Neighborhood Park - Basic, including landscaping, a small shaded group picnic area, a play area with natural elements, activity stations, and if feasible while also allowing for detention basin uses to continue, a small-footprint sports court. Remove the fence that precludes public access.
$5,196,000 4 $5,196,000 $68,000
Gilbert Basin Park Add signage to formalize this detention basin that already presents as a park. Add natural play elements such as logs, boulders, and other climbable features.
$900,000 3 $900,000
Site Specific Improvements Total Cost $144,106,000 $11,130,000 $9,093,000 $6,474,000 $10,676,000 $106,733,000 $5,457,000 City Park Create construction documents and renovate City Park as per its new Master Plan. Specific amenities identified in the City Park Master Plan include include a new community recreation center, aquatic facility, stage, destination playground, splashpad, skate park, basketball courts, lighted multi-use sports field, event space, plazas, gardens, picnic areas, and support amenities such as parking, restrooms, and shade. Strive to exceed ADA accessibility standards to serve people or varying needs and abilities. $100,000,000* 1 $10,000,000 $90,000,000 $0 $339,000
City Park Total Cost $100,000,000 $10,000,000 $90,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $339,000 Systemwide Improvements
Additional
spraygrounds/splash
pads (6 new)
Develop a sprayground in Victoria Park, one in City Park, and 4 at additional sites, so that each quadrant will have two to support cooling and waterplay.
$2,500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $1,000,000
Additional dog parks
(2 new)
Add a dog park in Quadrants 3 and Quadrant 4. If a dog park is located near the city limits, a second dog park in that quadrant may be warranted. $1,600,000 $800,000 $800,000 $0 Additional pickleball
courts
"Provide a tournament-style pickleball facility with approximately 12-16 courts. Add two paired pickleball courts in Quadrant 2." Relocate 8 pickleball courts currently located at Border Park to a citywide or community park for a total of 7-9 additional courts. $3,500,000 $3,150,000 $350,000 $0
Bike pump tracks Provide 2 pump tracks in Corona, dispersed so that approximately half of the community may be served by each (e.g., quadrants 1 & 3, or 4 & 2). $1,000,000 $500,000 $500,000 Inclusive, universal
playground
Develop a large destination play area in a centralized location at a citywide or community park to provide universal, inclusive access. Consider providing this in City Park or Santana Park when existing play structures are replaced. $1,500,000 $1,500,000 $0
Lighting Provide additional lighting to support use of parks in evening hours and enhance sense of safety. $0 Shade Recognizing that shade is also addressed in site specific recommendations, increase shade for seating areas and playgrounds, by planting trees or adding shade structures where warranted.
$1,000,000 $250,000 $500,000 $250,000 $0
Citywide ADA
improvements in parks
Enhance ADA accessibility citywide, updating parking paths of travel, restrooms, and playground surfacing at the following parks as noted by year:
fiscal 2024: Auburndale, Contreras, Cresta Verde, Ontario, Ridgeline and Victoria; 2025: Parks - Border, Brentwood, Fairview, Kellogg, Sheridan and Tehachapi; 2026 - Husted, Lincoln, Mangular, Rimpau, Serfas Club, Spyglass, Stagecoach and Village; Year 5 Parks - Buena Vista, Butterfield, Chase, City, Eagle Glen, Jameson, Parkview, River Road and Rock Vista. $3,847,000 $3,634,669 $212,331 $0
Systemwide Improvements Total Cost $14,947,000 $4,134,669 $3,612,331 $3,800,000 $1,900,000 $1,500,000 GRAND TOTAL $259,053,000 $25,264,669 $102,705,331 $10,274,000 $12,576,000 $108,233,000 $5,796,000 * The estimated project cost is based on recommendations provided in the City Park Master Plan. The true scope and cost of the project is subject to change and will be determined during the design process. 95 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 96 A high-quality parks and recreation system
requires a significant capital and operations
funding investment. To build recommended
features, sustain the community’s investment in
existing resources, and keep Corona’s parks safe,
clean, and green, the City must identify additional
sources of funding.
EXISTING FUNDING SOURCES
Currently, Corona funds much of the parks
and recreation system—and most City
expenditures—through General Fund revenues
(which is drawn from taxes and fees). General
Fund dollars support recreation operations
and park maintenance, as well as many of the
park improvement projects in the City’s Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP). This places all City
projects and services—including those of Parks,
Public Safety, Public Works, etc.—in competition
for both capital and operating resources, since
they are all funded through the same budget.
The Community Services Department has not
had a dedicated budget for the repair and
replacement of worn, deteriorating, and aging
facilities. Without a replacement schedule and
a dedicated budget, the City has been unable
to anticipate and carry out replacement projects
when needed. In 2020, Measure X was passed by
voters, increasing the local sales tax rate by 1%,
to 8.75%. Since then, the City has had some funds
to begin addressing the backlog of deferred
maintenance. In 2023, the Community Services
Department was allocated 9.7% of the City’s
operating budget, or about $18 million, which is a
significant increase from years past. On average,
the City annually allocates $3 to $5 million of
capital improvement funding for facilities, parks,
and open space. The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates
use of the fund for ADA improvements at parks,
and a variety of park amenities replacement and
improvement projects. Moving forward, the City
estimates maintaining the same level of annual
funding for parks projects.
Annually, the Community Services Department collects
approximately $1.7 million in revenues, mostly from education enrichments services ($690,000), reservations ($534,000), and skill-based activities such as yoga classes and sports camps ($508,000). The revenue falls severely short of the $8.8 million in expenses the Department incurs annually for operations of all parks, facilities, and programming. The most significant cost (by far) is the cost to maintain parks and trails in the community ($4.3 million each year).
The funding sources in Table 5-8 indicate Corona’s funding sources available as of 2023 for park and recreation capital projects.
GENERAL FUND
The General Fund is the primary operating fund of
the City where all revenues that are not allocated by
law or contractual agreement are accounted for.
DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES
Development Impact fees are special fees paid
by new development to offset the costs of
development to the City. Fees are charged by the
City to an applicant in connection with approval of a
development project. The purpose of these fees is to
defray all or a portion of the cost of public facilities, including schools, parks, and streets. Impact fees
can only pay for the portion of the improvement that
benefits the new uses but cannot be used to cover
costs that benefit existing uses.
Capital improvement funding can be
used for land acquisition, design, and
construction, including new parks and
facilities and expansion or renovation
of existing parks and facilities. It cannot
be used for operations costs.
Operations funding supports ongoing
services, such as maintenance, facility
operations, recreation programming,
events, marketing, and management.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES
AND POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES
97 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 98 Table 5-8: Current Funding Sources
Source Description
GENERAL FUNDS
General Fund General Funds are allocated in Corona’s budgeting process, and dollars for park operations must compete with other City needs for limited resources.
In FY2023/2024, the General Fund budget was $156 million. Of that, the Community Services Department was allocated 9.7% of the City’s op-erating budget, or about $18 million. On average the City annually allocates $2 to $4 million of capital improvement funding for facilities, parks, and open space pro-jects.
The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of the General Fund for library improvements, ADA improvements at parks, and a variety of park amenities replace-ment/improvements.
Measure X Fund Measure X is the Economic Recovery, Public Safety, City Services Measure that enacts a 1-cent local sales tax to fund City services and community-expressed prior-ities. In 2023, the fund had a revenue of $40 million and $3.3 million (or 28% of budgeted expenditures) was allocated to parks and open space.
The remaining 72% of Measure X funding is budgeted for facility systems and community assets and streets and storm drains. The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of funds from Measure X for the Historic Civic Center Facility Capital Improvements and a variety of park amenities replacement/improvements.
Civic Center Fund In 2023, the City budget showed a fund total of $254,700 in the Civic Center Fund. The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of the fund for HCC breezeway rebuild and facility capital improvements. In 2023, $256,000 was allocated for improvements and maintenance for the Historic Civic Center.
Aquatics Center
Fund
In 2023, the City budget showed an Aquatics Center fund total of $207,000.
Of that amount most was allocated to a citywide fee review and aquatic improvements.
The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of the fund for Aquatic Improvements at Auburndale Pool. In 2023, $100,000 was allocated for improvements of aquatic facilities at Auburndale Park.
Source Description
SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS (DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES)
Parks And Open
Space Fund
The Parks and Open Space Fund fees are charged for each housing unit developed. In 2023, the City budget showed a Parks and Open Space fund total of $3.8 million. Projects anticipated to be funded include $2.2 million to address repairs identified in the Parks and Facilities Inventory and Assessment and $630,000 for Auburndale Pool and park amenities improvements.
AB1600 Park
Improvement/
Development
Fee
The City’s 2023 revenue budget included $668,000 for this fund. The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of this fund for Auburndale amenities improvements, Butterfield Park west parking lot design, Mountain Gate Park shade structure, shade installation at park playgrounds, and the Skyline Trail access bridge.
CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS
Community
Development
Block Grant
(CDBG) Fund
CDBG is a federally funded grant program aimed to assist low to moderateincome communities in community development projects. Funds can be used for revitaliza-tion of existing community facilities and for new community facilities that principally benefit low and moderate-income persons in designated census tracts.
In 2022, the City was granted $1.1 million in CDBG funds, although most of that would be used for programs other than parks and recreation. The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of a portion of the fund for improvements at Sheridan and Victoria Parks.
Reimbursement
Grants Fund
The 2024-2033 CIP anticipates use of this fund for Griffin Park enhancements and remodeling of the Corona Innovation Center. In 2023, $2 million was budgeted for enhancements at Griffin Park.
Source: City of Corona Adopted Capital Improvement Plan Fiscal Years 2024 to 2033 99 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 100
POTENTIAL FUNDING STRATEGIES
Unless additional sources of funding are
identified, the City will not have sufficient funding
to implement many of the projects recommended
in the PRMP— especially if the resources for
developing and, importantly, operating these
valued community assets must come from the
City’s General Fund. This is a normal outcome
of most parks master plans and is not unique to
the City of Corona. To help offset this funding
gap, the City can consider the following funding
strategies to maximize its investment and be able
to support the community’s vision for a broad
range of recreation opportunities.
Develop Facility/Program Business Plans
Before Corona develops new facilities or
programs, a clear business plan is needed for
each. These operational plans should, at a
minimum, identify the intended purpose for the
facility or program, the space needed for feebased programs, reservations, and other uses, the market it should serve, staffing needed, and
expectations for financial performance, including
revenue generating opportunities and costrecovery targets. This up-front work will set the facilities up for greater success. The Financial
Sustainability Strategy presented in Appendix F
will help guide decisions on program and service
fee pricing to help inform the development of a
facility operations pro forma.
Seek Sponsorships, Donations, Partnerships
In addition to entities who may be willing to
donate or give funding to support various
projects, some donors or businesses may be
willing to invest as equity partners, sharing
the risk and benefits of facility operations and
development. Others may be willing to sponsor a
project in exchange for naming rights, marketing
benefits, or other return on investment.
The City could offer to sell naming rights to
large new parks, major recreation amenities and/
or major facilities. Business sponsorships—in
exchange for marketing promotion through
signage, the agency’s website, or other agency
materials such as the recreation guide—present
another opportunity to increase revenues.
The City should explore all options to increase
philanthropic contributions to Corona’s park
system. The Corona Parks Foundation is a 501(c)
(3) organization that provides fundraising support
for City parks, facilities, and programs, and can be
an asset to building a campaign for philanthropic
giving.
Pursue Grants Strategically
Typically, grants applications are competitive
processes that fund only capital costs.
Some grants require a City to commit to the
maintenance and operation of the resulting
facilities into perpetuity. Most grants also require
matching funds. To be effective at competing for
grant funding, the City will need to invest staff
time in tracking and applying for grants. Examples
of recent grant funding include the inclusive
playground at Lincoln Park (Kompan, Inc. and
the Corona Parks Foundation) and renovations at
Griffin Park (State of California).
Increase Impact Fees for New Residential
Growth
New residential development and the
redevelopment of areas within Corona will
increase demands for parks and recreation
opportunities in the future. The City
currently collects impact fees to help fund
the development, expansion or significant
modification of parks, recreation facilities, and
open space that are needed to support new
development and residential growth.
The City’s Quimby and Parkland Open Space
fees are the highest development impact fees
collected for new residential development. The
funding may not be used to maintain the park
system, improve aging assets, address existing
deficiencies, or increase the level of service.
As part of the funding strategy, the City should
regularly update Corona’s Park Improvement/
Development Fees to increase funds available for
new park acquisition and development and reflect
changing conditions.
The City’s parkland dedication requirements
should also be revisited and, if needed, amended
to ensure that dedication requirements are based
on a minimum level of service of 4.0 acres per
1,000 residents as included in this Master Plan.
Increase User Fees and Program Fees
In order to sustainably operate into the future,
the City should assess pricing of program and
facility use fees based on the cost recovery goals
outlined in the Financial Sustainability Strategy
(Appendix F). Fees for programs and services
with more individualized benefits are charged at
a higher cost recovery rate, so that programs and
services with broader community benefits can
be subsidized. To ensure inclusive opportunities
for all, higher program costs should also be
accompanied by scholarship opportunities for
families and target populations in need.
Consider Voter-Approved Funding Mechanisms
Since the City is advancing a number of initiatives
as part of this PRMP, the City may consider
funding and/or taxing mechanisms that require
voter approval, such as a general obligation
bond and/or operational levy for these projects
collectively, or for certain large projects. Voter
support at different price points and the general
package of projects should be tested in a
random-sample survey to identify public support
before a ballot measure.
Increase City Funding
In the absence of other funding sources, the City
could identify a greater percentage of General
Fund dollars to apply to parks and recreation on
a regular basis. Projects should not be developed
until the City has identified the appropriate
maintenance and operations resources needed
for ongoing parks and facility management and
stewardship. In addition, an asset management
plan will be needed to identify the future dollars
that should be set aside for the ongoing repair
and replacement of these amenities, facilities, and
landscaping.
101 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 102
MOVING FORWARD
This PRMP is the culmination of a significant
collaborative effort of City staff, the City Council,
the Parks and Recreation Commission, and other
community leaders and residents to determine
how best to invest in Corona’s parks and
recreation services. It comes more than 30 years
after the City’s previous Master Plan was adopted
and is anticipated to guide the City toward a
high-quality park system over the next 10 years.
City staff spent considerable time soliciting
resident feedback and engaging stakeholders
in the PRMP process to create a communitysupported plan for the future. The recommendation to invest more in parks and
recreation—focusing on park re-investment and
new facilities to provide a greater variety of
opportunities—reflects this collaborative input.
As a result, this PRMP is goal oriented. It
recommends a strategic investment in parks and
recreation to continue to support Corona’s high
quality of life, and a long-term investment in the
assets and values that the community treasures.
A lot of work will still be needed over the
next ten years to fully implement this plan.
City staff will need the continued support of
residents, businesses, stakeholders, the Parks
and Recreation Commission, City Council, and
City leaders to support this investment. Working
together, we can create the high-quality park and
recreation system we envision for the future.
PRIORITY NEXT STEPS
Corona continues to embrace the importance of
our local parks and recreation system through the
completion of the Parks and Recreation Master
Plan. The PRMP provides an updated resource
and guide, reaffirming key needs and goals
voiced by the community. This PRMP positions
the City to continue to enhance existing parks and
facilities with amenities that reflect current trends,
enhance park usage, and support the City’s robust
programming.
To be successful at implementing the community’s
goals for parks and recreation, the City will need
the continued support of partner organizations,
park users, and the public. This communitysupported system will require staff and City leaders, including City Council and the Parks and
Recreation Commission, to actively implement the
Master Plan. This will include an ongoing review
process using the tools provided herein and key
priority actions steps moving forward.
1. Financial Sustainability Strategy
A key first step will be to begin to implement
the Financial Sustainability Strategy presented
in Appendix F to guide future decision making,
including an evaluation of specific program costs
and related cost recovery goals.
2. Asset Management Plan and Fee Update
In conjunction with implementing the Financial
Sustainability Strategy, the City is undertaking a
citywide Asset Management Plan. This critical step
will outline lifecycle costs and schedules for all
existing facilities. In addition, the comprehensive
fee study and update should be conducted within
the framework of the Financial Sustainability
Strategy. Having the necessary resources on hand
to maintain amenities and facilities and steward
natural resources (including the tree canopy) is key
to eliminating deferred maintenance and staying in
front of facility replacement needs.
3. Planning and Implementation
for Large Projects
The PRMP provides significant guidance to
inform renovation plans for City Park, as well as
several other initiatives being advanced by the
City. With an eye towards financial sustainability,
along with the need to better activate parks and
facilities, these large projects have the potential
to be game-changers for parks and recreation in
Corona. However, they will represent significant
shifts in staffing, training, and resource needs
within the Community Services Department. A
clear business plan for implementing each large
project should be established.
4. Funding
To fund the recommendations identified, the City
will need to diversify and increase both capital
and operations funding. The City should begin to
investigate voter support at different price points
(and the general package of projects) through a
random-sample survey to identify public support
before a ballot measure.
The PRMP’s recommendations provide guidance
to evolve the City’s park assets in a way that
will reinvigorate spaces and support a healthy
community. Moving forward, the City will continue
to seek input from the community and valued
partners to test ideas and develop concrete
design plans. In addition, the community’s needs,
preferences, and opportunities are expected to
evolve over time. The PRMP includes a flexible
framework for evaluating new proposals within
the guiding context set forth by this plan. The
City will use its suite of tools to track progress,
adjust course, and incorporate new ideas as they
arise to build improvements that support the
vision outlined by the community for parks and
recreation in Corona.
Vision
Through the 2021-2026 Corona Strategic
Plan, the City of Corona adopted the
following vision to guide City services:
The City of Corona will be a safe, vibrant,
and family-friendly community.
103 CORONA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION 104 PARKS
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CITY OF CORONA
DRAFT