A proposal to dedicate community parks at Oceanside’s 465-acre El Corazon property and to find a way to lock in funding for them got the City Council’s go-ahead last week. City staffers were directed to prepare a financial plan that would set aside tax revenue generated by commercial activities at El Corazon and use that money only to develop and maintain parks within the property, instead of spending the cash citywide as part of the general fund. “Nailing these things down will save us money in the long run,” said Joan Bockman, president of the nonprofit Friends of El Corazon. “It will give us peace of mind.” The proposal would add “an extra layer of protection” to the parks, said Shari Mackin, a former City Council member who served on a planning committee created in 2003 to help outline the future of El Corazon. The request by Mayor Esther Sanchez and Councilmember Eric Joyce was approved unanimously by the City Council. If their proposal is approved at a future council meeting, it would put into writing ideas discussed for decades. Staffers will look at options for implementing the proposed changes and will recommend a preferred direction to the council, said City Manager Jonathan Borrego. “The easiest thing to do may be to change the general plan designation,” Borrego said, adding that some parts of El Corazon are controlled by agreements with the lead developer, Sudberry Properties, and may not be affected by the changes. The U.S. Silica Company donated the El Corazon property at the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Oceanside Boulevard to the city in 1994. The windfall came with an obligation for a widescale environmental cleanup after the site was used as an open-pit sand mine for more than 60 years. After extensive planning and community involvement, the Oceanside City Council adopted a specific plan in 2009 that outlined the creation of parks, the preservation of natural habitats, and the construction of civic, commercial and residential facilities within the property. A little more than 10 percent of the property was designated for commercial activities to provide tax revenue that would help pay for the development and maintenance of the public parks and recreational uses. Large chunks of the property have been used for recycling and composting operations since 1995. Almost all of the development has been in the southwest quadrant of the property, near Oceanside Boulevard and Rancho Del Oro Drive. The city’s second senior center opened in 2009 as the first large public facility there, followed by a 20-field soccer tournament complex in 2014. The city’s long-awaited El Corazon Aquatic Center made its debut in 2021. The new 7,500-seat Frontwave indoor sports arena opened last year as a venue for concerts and special events, and a home to professional soccer and basketball teams. Construction started in 2022 and continues on a 268-apartment complex on 12 acres along Rancho Del Oro near the senior center, with some of the apartments now occupied. Also, in April 2023, Oceanside planning commissioners approved plans and permits for a 51-acre commercial site with three large research and development buildings at El Corazon. The largest of the three buildings will be leased to Ionis Pharmaceuticals, with a lab, offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities to employ about 200 people. But the first community park is yet to be built. The property’s master plan calls for sports fields, restrooms, picnic areas, a dog park and other recreational facilities for the public. Seventeen acres known as Park Site 1, directly across from the Frontwave Arena entrance, will be the first of nine community park sites within the El Corazon specific plan. Preliminary plans discussed for the park include at least four acres of sports fields, about 650 parking spaces to be shared with the nearby arena, along with playgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms, basketball courts, a dog park, and a bandstand.