By Mike Hazlip—
More than two acres of wooded land along Sylvan Road are set to become a park after the landowner donated the property to the city for that purpose.
The landowner, Robert Coronado, approached Councilman Tim Schaefer more than a year ago with the idea, Schaefer said in comments during a Dec. 14, 2023, council meeting. He described Coronado as “a great human being” for his generosity.
In public comments during the meeting, Coronado said his grandparents, Manuel and Francisca Coronado, whom he said homesteaded a portion of the property in the 1920s after immigrating from Mexico.
“The property ties in well with the city’s General Plan goal of preserving and protecting open space, which in turn helps reduce the effects of climate change as outlined in the UN’s Climate Change Report,” Coronado said. He also indicated the future park will be named “Coronado Park” in honor of his family’s legacy.
The properties are located at 6448 Sylvan Rd. and 7500 Coronado Ln., which fronts Sylvan Road to the west and is adjacent to Heights Church in the north. Coronado said he purchased the land from the Heights Church to prevent it from becoming a parking lot, noting that some of the trees on the property are more than a century old.
Mayor Bret Daniels also thanked Coronado for his gift to the city.
“This kind of thing doesn’t happen hardly ever and your graciousness to us is extremely appreciated. So, thank you very much, and go Spartans,” Daniels said to the fellow San Juan alumni.
A staff report from the city included in the council’s Dec. 14 agenda packet said the land transfer was proposed as a gift to the city, “without any compensation,” with a restriction only that the area be used as a “park, open space, community garden, or the like.” The report also said the city had performed due diligence on the property, including a title report and a Phase 1 environmental assessment that found no significant concerns.
