DATE: 07/01/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-257
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
SPECIFIC PLAN 2025-0001 TO ESTABLISH THE SKYLINE HEIGHTS SPECIFIC PLAN FOR 249.39 ACRES AND RESUBMITTED TENTATIVE TRACT MAP 36544 TO CREATE 144 LOTS FOR
RESIDENTIAL AND OPEN SPACE PURPOSES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve Specific Plan 2025-0001 and resubmitted Tentative Tract Map 36544 for the Skyline Heights Project, which is a master-planned residential community encompassing 249.39 acres of undeveloped hillside, located southwest of Foothill Parkway and north of Skyline Drive.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Adopt the Addendum to the certified Skyline Heights Environmental Impact Report (State Clearing House No. 2014021003) based on the findings contained in this report.
b. Approve Specific Plan 2025-0001, subject to the findings and conditions of approval as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission.
c. Approve the resubmitted Tentative Tract Map 36544, subject to the findings and conditions of approval as recommended by the Planning and Housing Commission. d. Introduce, by title only, and waive full reading of consideration of Ordinance No. 3429, first reading of an ordinance approving the Skyline Heights Specific Plan 2025- 0001 to establish residential and open space land uses and development standards for 249.39 acres located southwest of Foothill Parkway and north of Skyline Drive, and to approve Addendum No. 1 to the Skyline Heights Project Environmental Impact Report.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In February 2017, the City certified the original Skyline Heights Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved an initial tract layout for Tentative Tract Map 36544 (TTM 36544), which was for the subdivision of 271 acres into 292 single-family residential lots.
A subsequent Development Agreement (DA2018-0001) was approved by the City in 2018, granting the applicant, Richland Ventures, Inc., the vested right to proceed with development for a period of 10 years, in exchange for specified public benefits. This agreement extends the life of TTM 36544 and any subsequent project approvals through November 21, 2028.
In 2022, the applicant submitted an application to form a Community Facilities District (CFD) to fund the construction of project-related infrastructure and to establish fees that would be collected through the CFD to provide the City with certain financial benefits. The City Council denied the CFD due to concerns that the CFD benefits did not include tangible improvements that could be directly gained by the public and would not provide a direct benefit to the property owners who were responsible for paying the CFD taxes. Additionally, the project lacked public access and did not adequately address community priorities related to trail connections, trail parking, recreational amenities, and attainable housing opportunities.
In 2023, following community and Council outreach, the applicant submitted a revised project, which reflects the current Tentative Tract Map and Specific Plan for consideration.
The Specific Plan is a regulatory zoning document for the site and includes a land-use plan, development standards, an infrastructure plan, a construction and phasing plan, and a financing plan to implement the development of the project site. Approval of the Specific Plan is required, in conjunction with the resubmitted map, given that the subdivision is designed pursuant to the zoning and development standards introduced by the Specific Plan.
Given the City’s acquisition of portions of the project site’s eastern boundaries for the construction of the westerly extension of Foothill Parkway, the overall project site footprint has reduced from 271 acres to 249.39 acres.
The revised project was reviewed by the Planning and Housing Commission on May 27, 2026. The Commission recommended approval of Specific Plan 2025-0001 (SP2025-0001) and TTM 36544, with an added condition of approval for the applicant to prepare a traffic safety evaluation of the north project entrance at Foothill Parkway.
ANALYSIS:
The Skyline Heights Specific Plan and resubmitted TTM 36544 facilitate the development of a 276-unit master-planned residential community. The project site is divided into three distinct planning areas, distributed under two new zoning designations that replace the site's previous R-1-7.2 zoning:
• Planning Area 1 (PA 1): Located on the northern portion of the site, this portion of the site encompasses 35.72 total acres (13.10 acres residential, 6.28 acres HOA slopes, and 16.34 acres natural open space) and is zoned Single Family District Cluster (SFD Cluster) to accommodate 104 condominium units.
• Planning Area 2 (PA 2): Located on the eastern and southern portions of the site, this portion of the site encompasses 143.43 total acres (36.24 acres residential, 1.95 acres private parks, 9.25 acres public parks, 0.38 acres infrastructure, 30.19 acres HOA slopes, and 65.42 acres natural open space) and is zoned Single Family District (SFD) to accommodate 95 single-family units.
• Planning Area 3 (PA 3): Located on the western portion of the site, this portion of the site encompasses 70.24 total acres (16.07 acres residential, 0.22 acres private parks, 1.12 acres infrastructure, 12.60 acres HOA slopes, and 40.23 acres natural open space) and is zoned Single Family District Cluster (SFD Cluster) to accommodate 77 condominium units.
The project site retains its General Plan land use designation of Low Density Residential (LDR), which permits a density range of 3 to 6 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The project establishes an overall density of 1.1 du/ac, remaining well below the General Plan's maximum allowable density. The residential lots range in size from 7,200 square feet to 39,848 square feet.
Phasing and Utilities Infrastructure
The project will be completed in two phases. Grading for the entire project will occur in Phase 1, but recordation, filing of the documents with Riverside County, and map completion will occur in two phases. Phase 1 consists of PA 1 north of Mabey Canyon Road (104 condominium units), while Phase 2 consists of the remainder of the project south of Mabey Canyon Road (95 single-family and 77 condominium units).
The community will connect to City water and sewer lines in Foothill Parkway. The applicant is entirely responsible for constructing a 0.6-million-gallon Zone 6A water tank and corresponding booster stations to serve the project. Additionally, the Utilities Department has identified the need for a 2.5-million-gallon Zone 5 water storage tank to adequately serve the northern portion of the project, and for the Zone 5 areas beyond the project boundary.
The applicant is required to pay a fair-share cost toward the Zone 5 tank, which must be fully constructed prior to the issuance of the first building permit in either phase. Due to the site's location within a Very High Fire Severity Zone, a Fire Department-required heli-hydrant water tank for aerial firefighting is required to be constructed within the project.
Circulation and Modified County Access
Vehicular access is provided at three points on Foothill Parkway via "P" Street, "B" Street/Border Avenue, and Trudy Way. The internal streets within Phase 2 will be public to serve the project's public parks, while Phase 1 internal streets will be private, except for the entrance at “P” Street; neither will be gated.
Two existing residential homes located in an unincorporated area of Riverside County currently access Foothill Parkway via Mabey Canyon Road. “P” Street is proposed just north of Mabey Canyon Road and would provide access to the lots within the Phase 1 area. Due to the close proximity of “P” Street and Mabey Canyon Road intersections, combined with the curvature of Foothill Parkway in this area, the Public Works Department determined that maintaining both access points could create potential vehicle circulation conflicts. As a result, the County residents’ direct access to Mabey Canyon Road is being eliminated and replaced with an alternative access design, which was achieved through coordination with the applicant and one of the residents, Becky Gunnoe. The other resident was not responsive to attempts at engagement.
The County residents will access their properties via "P" Street, which connects to a new paved private road to be built by the applicant and secured by an entry gate for their exclusive use. The original Mabey Canyon Road access point will be restricted by a gate for emergency vehicle use, including California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), Corona Fire, and Riverside County Flood Control personnel, and with special operational allowances for large service vehicles and Ms. Gunnoe's bee-keeping trailer business.
Traffic Engineering Improvements
A traffic impact analysis prepared by Urban Crossroads in January 23, 2025 indicates the project will generate 2,604 daily vehicle trips, which is 176 fewer trips than the originally approved 2017 project. The applicant is required to perform the following circulation enhancements:
• Phase 1 Improvements: Install stop-control on "P" Street at Foothill Parkway and construct a shared left-turn lane on "P" Street.
• Phase 2 Improvements: Construct a northbound left-turn lane (100 feet of vehicle storage) and a shared through-right turn lane on Foothill Parkway at "B" Street/Border Avenue; modify the existing traffic signal at "B" Street/Border Avenue; and construct off-site traffic signals at the intersections of Foothill Parkway with Trudy Way and Elisa Street.
Parks, Trails, and Community Facilities Districts (CFD) The project provides five private pocket parks totaling 2.17 acres for tract residents, which must be built prior to the building permit for the 147th unit. This 147-unit threshold is necessary to support the project’s financing plan for the construction of the public park improvements. It also incorporates three public parks, totaling 9.25 acres within Lots F, I, and K, with amenities including a dog park, play structures, sports courts, and a bike track to be finalized through a Parks Development Agreement. The public parks also include a parking lot containing 94 parking spaces for park and trail visitors.
Affected trails identified in the City's Trails Master Plan will be realigned within the project boundaries to preserve connectivity to the Cleveland National Forest, supported by four distinct trailhead construction points. At the time of map recordation, the applicant must dedicate 10 lots (P, Q, L, K, J, M, K, H, D, and AAA), totaling 84.65 acres to the City, in fee title for natural open space, public parks, trails, and utility purposes.
To secure long-term operations, the applicant is required to annex the project into CFD 2016-3 (Public Facility Maintenance) and CFD 2016-1 (Police and Fire Emergency Services).
Following entitlement approval, the applicant intends to submit an application to form a separate CFD to finance the public park improvements and amenities described above. Per the conditions of approval, if the City Council approves this CFD, the applicant must construct the public park improvements and amenities prior to the building permit for the 221st unit. The 221-unit threshold consists of the initial 104 units in Phase 1, followed by 117 units in Phase 2. This threshold is necessary to support the issuance of CFD bonds, which would provide funding for the construction of the public park improvements. If the CFD is not approved, the applicant is not obligated to build the public park and amenities, but must dedicate the lots designated for public parks to the City.
A master HOA must also be established prior to map recordation to maintain all private streets, common areas, certain slopes, water quality facilities, the Mabey Canyon Road gates, and the medians/manufactured slopes along Foothill Parkway.
Community Design Guidelines
The Specific Plan establishes Community Design Guidelines for architectural design of the residential buildings and perimeter fencing, as well as fire protection planning and standards for the project site, which is within the Very High Fire Severity Zone.
Traffic Safety Evaluation
At the direction of the Planning and Housing Commission, a safety evaluation was prepared by the applicant’s traffic engineer, Urban Crossroads, Inc., on June 12, 2026 to assess existing and future traffic safety conditions along Foothill Parkway at the three project entrances. The evaluation reviewed the last five years of collision data, vehicle speeds, roadway geometry, site access, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, site distance, traffic operations, and potential conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
The study found that the existing roadway network generally complies with City of Corona and California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) design standards, and that there are no existing roadway design deficiencies that would contribute to collisions. The evaluation concluded that project-related roadway improvements constructed in accordance with City standards would maintain adequate sight distance, pedestrian facilities, and roadway design characteristics necessary for safe operation.
To further enhance safety along Foothill Parkway, the evaluation recommends incorporating several traffic-calming and visibility improvements into the final engineering plans, including the following features:
• Solar speed feedback signs;
• Roadway speed limit legends;
• Additional warning signage;
• Green-colored pavement markings through bicycle conflict areas; • High-visibility crosswalks;
• Accessible pedestrian signal features;
• Installation of traffic signals on Foothill Parkway at Trudy Way and Elysia Street (these off-site improvements have already been identified by the EIR Addendum to be constructed as part of the project’s development); and
• High-visibility (yellow) signal backplates at existing and proposed traffic signals.
Additionally, based on the criteria contained in the CA MUTCD, the study concluded that the intersection at Foothill and the north project entrance does not warrant for all-way stop control and, therefore, installation of an all-way stop is not recommended.
Based on these findings, the Safety Evaluation concludes that implementation of the recommended roadway and traffic control improvements, together with continued traffic law enforcement, will maintain safe operating conditions for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists in the project area. The Safety Evaluation has been approved by the City Traffic Engineer, and the recommended improvements must be implemented as part of the applicant’s project development.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $31,697.39 associated with the resubmitted Tentative Tract Map and Specific Plan applications.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
An Addendum to the certified 2017 Skyline Heights Final EIR was prepared for the revised project in accordance with Section 15164 of the State CEQA Guidelines and Section 8.06 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines. The Addendum is supported by substantial evidence demonstrating that none of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 or 15163 requiring a subsequent or supplemental EIR have occurred. Implementation of the downscaled project will not result in new or substantially more severe environmental impacts than those previously identified.
The original certified EIR determined that all impacts, with the exception of those related to the area of aesthetics, would be reduced to less-than-significant levels through mitigation.
The EIR concluded that impacts to visual character, scenic vistas, and visual resources resulting from substantial landform alteration on the hillside geography would remain significant and unavoidable, and that no mitigation measures are available to reduce this impact. The Addendum confirms that aesthetic impacts remain significant and unavoidable, consistent with the original EIR conclusions, while incorporating updated analysis for current CEQA topics (energy, tribal cultural resources, and wildfire). The Addendum is attached as Exhibit 8.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At the May 27, 2026 meeting, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Longwell/Siqueland), and carried that the Planning and Housing Commission recommended adoption of the Addendum to the certified Skyline Heights Environmental Impact Report and approval of SP2025-0001 to the City Council, based on the findings and conditions of approval.
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland)/Longwell), and carried, with Commissioner Woody voting “Abstain”, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommended approval of TTM 36544 to the City Council, based on the findings and conditions contained in the staff report.
The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 7.
PREPARED BY: SANDRA VANIAN, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: DANNY CASTRO, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Ordinance No. 3429
2. Exhibit 2 – Locational and Zoning Map
3. Exhibit 3 – Skyline Heights Specific Plan
4. Exhibit 4 – Tentative Tract Map 36544
5. Exhibit 5 – Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report for SP2025-0001
6. Exhibit 6 – Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report for TTM 36544
7. Exhibit 7 – Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission Meeting of May 27, 2026
8. Exhibit 8 –Addendum No. 1 to Skyline Heights EIR
9. Exhibit 9 – PowerPoint Presentation
10. Exhibit 10 – Applicant’s PowerPoint Presentation