National CORE on June 18 celebrated sweeping new renovations that have revitalized two aging communities, reaffirming the developer’s deep-rooted commitment to residents and to ensuring the usefulness of aging buildings.
Community leaders, elected officials, company officials and residents gathered at the Corona del Rey and Corona de Oro affordable housing communities in Corona, touring upgraded apartments and reviewing the many community improvements. Children were treated to soccer demonstrations by professional players from the Empire Strykers.
National CORE Chief Development Officer Alexa Washburn said maintaining affordable housing communities is as critical as building new communities.
“It’s easy for people to focus only on the excitement of opening new housing communities,” Washburn said. “But National CORE is deeply committed to preserving affordable housing. This isn’t as flashy. In fact, it’s a lot more difficult – less funding is available, projects are vastly more complex, and we need to ensure residents are cared for during the process. But it’s critical to ensuring we have quality housing available to serve our communities in need.”
Corona del Rey, a 160-apartment community, was built in the 1970s; Corona de Oro, home to 72 apartments, was constructed in the 1980s. They were extensively updated in 1999 and 2001, respectively. National CORE launched its latest renovations in 2022; work began in 2023 and was completed in 2025 across both communities.
“The County of Riverside is a strong supporter of affordable housing, including investing in the preservation and improvement of existing communities,” Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel said. “We are proud to have partnered on the rehabilitation of these two developments, ensuring they remain a valuable asset to the region for years to come.”
The two Corona renovations involved many of those complexities, including the need to relocate residents in shifts throughout reconstruction of their homes. National CORE’s CORE Relocation team, a leader in the field, guided that part of the effort.
Renovations were implemented by National CORE’s construction team, an industry leader in design, rehabilitation and sustainable materials and systems.
Corona del Rey’s updates feature water supply line replacements, conversion from gas to all-electric utilities, stucco repair, repainting and kitchen and bathroom upgrades. Two of the community’s 40 buildings were also chosen as “Demonstration Buildings,” receiving enhanced exterior insulation and updated mechanical and electrical systems to boost energy efficiency.
“Preventing homelessness is a key goal in the City of Corona’s Homeless Strategic Plan,” said Karen Roper, City of Corona Housing & Homeless Solutions Manager. “Renovation of Corona De Oro and Corona Del Rey provides a great example of public/private partnerships to maintain affordable housing and thus prevent homelessness to low-income households in our city.”
Corona de Oro residents received bathroom fixtures and drainage repairs and selective improvements throughout the community.
Chris Killian, National CORE’s senior vice president of construction, said the renovations reflect the company’s pledge to ensure all its communities are high-performance, cost-effective and built with longevity in mind.
“We had an amazing opportunity to really boost our performance efforts at both of these properties,” Killian said. “The new updates cut the cost of living for our residents by reducing their heating and cooling bills. I love the idea that these buildings have been re-invigorated, adding more years to their lives for this community.”
National CORE secured funding for the upgrades from several sources, including the County of Riverside’s American Rescue Plan, with help from then-Assemblymember now-Senator Sabrina Cervantes, the City of Corona, the California Energy Commission (CEC), the Rocky Mountain Institute and various loans.
“Renovating existing affordable housing originally built in the 1970s and 80s is one way to help address our state and region’s housing crisis and that is exactly what has been accomplished at Corona del Rey and Corona de Oro,” Cervantes said.
“From securing $8 million for this project in 2021 to now, I am so pleased to help provide greater housing stability to the nearly 600 neighbors of National CORE at Corona del Rey and Corona de Oro. Public-private projects like these serve as powerful examples for the state of California.”
Corona del Rey residents were relocated in phases beginning in May 2023 to nearby hotels and vacant apartments throughout the properties to minimize disruption. Renovations were completed at the start of 2025. Corona de Oro renovations started in April 2024 and ended in December 2024.
“The City of Corona is committed to improving and maintaining the quality of life for our residents,” City of Corona Mayor Jim Steiner said. “Our city was honored to partner with the state, the county and National CORE to support the renovation of Corona De Oro and Corona Del Rey, which collectively provide affordable housing for 232 households in our city.”
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