DATE: 08/19/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-265
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 2025-0002 TO ESTABLISH A WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY DESIGNED AS AN 81-FOOT-HIGH BALLFIELD
LIGHT POLE WITH ASSOCIATED GROUND-MOUNTED EQUIPMENT WITHIN
CITRUS COMMUNITY PARK
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to affirm the decision by the Planning and Housing Commission to grant Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 2025-0002, which is a request to replace an existing 81-foot-tall ballfield light pole with a new ballfield light pole (“tower”) of the same height, within Citrus Community Park. Antennas and associated equipment would be mounted onto the tower. The project also includes the installation of supportive, ground-mounted equipment, fully enclosed by an eight-foot-high block wall with creeping vines planted around its perimeter.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting CUP2025-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Citrus Community Park is approximately 19.83 acres and bounded by Santana Way to the west, Taber Street to the north, Rimpau Avenue to the east, residential properties to the south, and an elementary school to the southwest. Residential homes surround the park on all sides. The City of Corona owns Citrus Community Park, with the Community Services Department responsible for its operations and oversight.
ANALYSIS:
Conditional Use Permit 2025-0002 (CUP2025-0002) is a request by Nuwave International Industrials (“Applicant”), on behalf of Verizon, to replace an existing 81-foot-tall ballfield light pole with a new ballfield light pole (“tower”) of the same height. The tower would be located six feet from the original structure’s location. Nine antennas and nine radio remote units (RRUs) are proposed for mounting on the tower at approximately 60 to 73 feet above ground level.
The tower is proposed for construction at the approximate center of Citrus Community Park. The proposed location meets the minimum setback requirements prescribed by the Corona Vista Specific Plan for the property’s Open Space & Recreation zoning designation, which are summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1 – Open Space & Recreation Zone Development Standards Standard Required Proposed Compliance
Minimum setback
from a street
20 feet 512 feet from Taber Street Yes
Minimum setback
from residential
parcels
50 feet More than 300 feet from
Santana Way and Rimpau
Avenue
Yes
Maximum Height 30 feet 80 feet and 7 inches Permissible with the approval of a
CUP
Associated with the tower are supportive, ground-mounted mechanical equipment, which will be placed within an enclosed eight-foot-high concrete block wall located in the park, approximately 146 feet north of the tower. The equipment includes an emergency generator, battery, and cabinets. Creeping vines are proposed for placement around the perimeter of the enclosure to soften its appearance.
The tower will also serve as a functional ballfield light pole and will include seven luminaires intended to illuminate the adjacent soccer field. To further minimize the tower’s visual impact, a condition of approval has been imposed requiring that the antennas and all associated equipment be painted to match the pole's color and finish, thereby enhancing the stealth design and reducing the visibility of the telecommunications components.
Access to the site is via Santana Way. A service technician for Verizon is expected to visit the site periodically throughout the year for routine maintenance and will use one to two parking spaces in the park's parking lot. Therefore, the proposed project is not anticipated to impact the surrounding roadways nor traffic.
Parks and Recreation Commission
The Parks and Recreation Commission also reviewed the project at its May 12, 2026 meeting, and recommended installing a metal security cage over the equipment enclosure. The Applicant has agreed to make the improvement, and a condition of approval has been included.
Alternative Site Analysis
Existing Verizon coverage in the project area is poor, with coverage gaps near Foothill Parkway. The applicant evaluated nearby placement opportunities but determined that existing wireless telecommunications facilities are outside the target service area, and placement on residential properties is not permissible under City regulations. Citrus Community Park was therefore identified as the only feasible location to improve wireless coverage.
Regulations Governing Telecommunications Facilities
Wireless telecommunications facilities are regulated by federal, state, and local laws.
While the City may regulate location, design, and aesthetics, federal law prohibits the denial of a compliant facility based on health concerns about Radio Frequency (RF) emissions. The project's RF Emission Compliance Report demonstrates compliance with applicable Federal Communications Commission’s exposure standards, and RF warning signage will be installed for maintenance personnel.
The proposed tower is designed as a dual-purpose ballfield light pole with concealed ground-mounted supporting equipment, consistent with the City's adopted Location, Development, and Design Guidelines and Standards for Telecommunications Facilities.
The project complies with applicable standards, including setback requirements prescribed by the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) and federal RF regulations, and is not expected to generate significant traffic impacts on surrounding roadways.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $9,352.14 to cover the cost of the Conditional Use Permit.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
A preliminary exemption assessment has been conducted by the City of Corona in accordance with Section 15303 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.38 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines, and determined that the project meets criteria for a Class 3 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) categorical exemption as it involves the installation of new wireless telecommunications equipment and associated ground equipment within a limited area. The project represents a small utility installation and does not result in a significant expansion of the existing use of the site. Moreover, none of the six Exceptions to Exemptions cited in Section 15300.2 are applicable to the proposed project.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its July 6, 2026 meeting, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Longwell/Alexander), and carried with Commissioner Vernon voting “No” and Vice Chair Siqueland and Commissioner Woody absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission find the project exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) and adopt Resolution No. 2690 granting CUP2025-0002, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: EDUARDO GALDAMEZ, ASSISTANT PLANNER
REVIEWED BY: SANDRA VANIAN, PLANNING MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: DANNY CASTRO, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Locational and Zoning Map
2. Exhibit 2 – Site plan for Conditional Use Permit 2025-0002
3. Exhibit 3 – Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 – Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission Meeting of July 6, 2026