2801 T STREET
SACRAMENTO, CA 95816
TEL 916.382.4377
FAX 916.382.4380
WWW. HTHGLAW. COM
July 30, 2025
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY
Mayor Jim Steiner
City of Corona
400 South Vicentia Avenue
Corona, CA 92882
[email protected]
Re: Appeal; TTM 37895
Dear Mayor Steiner and Honorable Members of the City Council, On behalf of Vulcan Materials Company (“Vulcan”) and AVMGH Corona (“AVMGH”), we write concerning the above-referenced appeal (“Appeal”), scheduled for public hearing on August 6, 2025. The Appeal seeks the City Council’s approval to tentatively subdivide 103 single family residential lots on
61.6 acres located on the west and east sides of Laurel Canyon Way, south of Sherborn Street and north of Shadow Valley Drive (“Project”).
The Project site is located immediately west of Vulcan’s Corona Quarry. Vulcan leases certain lands from AVMGH for operation of the quarry’s processing plants. Together, Vulcan’s fee owned and leased lands constitute the “Quarry.” Vulcan and its predecessors have operated that Quarry as a regionally important aggregate and construction materials source since the 1940s. The Quarry has certain vested operating rights under both the federal and state constitutions, and as further articulated by Development Agreement #2014-0256761, SMP12-001M, and associated reclamation plan. These rights include, but are not limited to, the following:
• The right to engage in surface mining operations on more than 260 acres; • The right to extract more than 400 million tons of material from the Quarry site; • The right to produce up to 5 million tons of aggregate annually; • The right to produce asphaltic and ready-mix concrete; • The right to transport, process, store, and loadout by truck and rail aggregate and other construction materials;
• The right to drill, blast, excavate, doze, and use of other similar methods to recover mineral resources from the Quarry site;
• The right to operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week, including Quarry blasting between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday; and Mayor Jim Steiner
Appeal, TTM 37895
July 30, 2025
2 • The right to engage in all ancillary and related uses to operate a surface mining operation and construction materials production and sale facility.
While the current entitlements allow for Quarry operations to continue until 2112, constitutionally protected vested mining rights allow for Quarry operations to continue until the complete recovery of mineral reserves. (See Hansen Bros. Enters. v. Bd. of Supervisors (1996) 12 Cal. 4th 533.) In addition, there are a number of other industrial uses, including additional mining and construction materials facilities within the Temescal Valley immediately surrounding the Project site that provide significant quantities of construction materials to the western Riverside County market.
The Project site will be located less than ½ mile away from these industrial uses. Vulcan and AVMGH are in favor of development. The Project must, however, include protections for existing industrial uses. To that end, Vulcan and other operators met with the Project Applicant on multiple occasions following the City Planning and Housing Commission’s recommendation to deny the Project.
The parties discussed potential solutions, through conditions of approval, recorded notices, and other items, which would reduce complaints and unwarranted investigations undertaken by the City.
Unfortunately, the parties could not reach agreement on a solution that would adequately ensure ongoing land use compatibility. Accordingly, Vulcan and AVMGH must respectfully oppose the Project.
We thank you for your consideration of this letter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (916) 228-4221 or by email at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
HARRISON, TEMBLADOR, HUNGERFORD & GUERNSEY
By
Adam Guernsey, Esq.
cc: [Via Email]
Vice Mayor Jacque Casillas
Council Member Tony Daddario
Council Member Tom Richins
Council Member Wes Speake
Council Member Chad Willardson
Joanne Coletta, Planning & Development Director
Sandra Vanian, Senior Planner
Jim Gore, Vulcan Materials Company
Mayor Jim Steiner
Appeal, TTM 37895
July 30, 2025
3 Bruce Hohn, AVMGH Corona
Mark D. Harrison, Esq., Harrison Temblador Hungerford & Guernsey LLP