Pepper trees line three sides of the triangle. Inside, the City of Wildomar's planning documents describe trees, exposed soil, natural vegetation, old irrigation, natural drainages and a set of unimproved walking trails. A drainage channel runs along the west edge, two pedestrian bridges cross it, and Interstate 15 sits about half a mile to the east.
The city has owned this ground, northeast of Palomar Street and southwest of Gierson Avenue, since June 29, 2023. It has been closed to the public for that whole time. This fall, the city put the site's first construction contract on the calendar. That contract is for fencing, and the reason it comes first explains most of what happens on this land through the end of 2027.
The fence is a promise to the seller
Wildomar bought the 20-acre park property and a 0.49-acre parking parcel next to Palomar Street from CAFH Order at Wildomar, Inc. Cafh describes itself as a global spiritual community that works through meditation and dialogue, and dates its founding to 1937.
The sale came with three companion agreements: a purchase contract, a grant of access easements and a water license. The purchase contract included obligations the city has to meet after closing. A staff report for the June 10, 2026 City Council meeting recommended amendments to push those deadlines back while design and permitting continue. According to the June 10 staff report, here is what the city owes:
- A screened fence, due by February 28, 2027
- Gates at the existing pedestrian and vehicle bridges, also due by February 28, 2027
- A new bridge linking the Palomar Street parking parcel to the park, due by September 30, 2027
The links between the two neighbors run both ways. Until permanent facilities are built, city crews reach the property through CAFH's land and over the existing vehicle bridge on a maintenance easement. The park's irrigation also runs on CAFH's water system, and the city pays $333.33 a month for it, about $4,000 a year. Under the sale agreement, the prior owner can also keep using the existing trails and walking the property before the park opens to the public.
So the fence is the city meeting a contract deadline. The amenity list on the park plan comes later.
In June, the plan was a winter opening from Gierson
The June report set a concrete goal. Staff expected an "initial opening of the park property for public use, in the property's existing condition" by Winter 2026. Visitors would have come in from Gierson Avenue and parked on a temporary gravel lot inside the park, southwest of Gierson. The new bridge and the Palomar Street parking lot would follow by September 2027.
The proposed amendment made room for this. It would allow the park to open before the bridge is built, as long as public access does not come from Palomar Street. That left Gierson as the way in.
August: three ways to open, and the council picked none
When the fencing contract reached the council on August 12, 2026, staff put the access question to the council directly. The August 12 staff report listed three options:
- Open the existing pedestrian gate at the west end of Gierson Avenue for walk-in access.
- Build a temporary parking area on the park property, reached from the west end of Gierson.
- Wait for the Palomar Street parking lot and the bridge across the flood control channel. Staff estimated that work would not be finished until mid-2027 at the earliest.
Two more routes were mentioned but had not been fully evaluated. One was the permanent Gierson Avenue cul-de-sac extension and parking lot from the final park plans. The other was walk-in access to the channel and the existing wooden bridge from S. Pasadena Street.
Staff were also clear about what an early opening would look like:
"Since the property will function as an open space area in its existing condition, members of the public who choose to enter into the property should not expect that the property and trail system are improved or maintained and they would be entering and using the property and trails at their own risk."
The bid gave the temporary lot a price. Act 1 Construction, a Norco company, bid $322,764 for the required fencing and gates and another $110,682 for the temporary parking area, $433,446 in all. Citizen Portal reported that residents urged the council to wait for access from Palomar and the bridge. It also reported that the council voted 5-0 for the $322,764 base contract only, declined the temporary lot and delayed the public opening.
So the gravel lot is off the table, and the Winter 2026 opening from Gierson went with it. The fencing contract allows 60 working days. With a notice to proceed planned for around August 31, staff projected completion around October 30, 2026, barring change orders or weather delays. Once that work is done, the fence will close off a park that still has no public entrance.
The opening now depends on the bridge
With Gierson set aside, the Palomar Street bridge is now the realistic way in. On September 9, the council awarded R.E. Schultz Construction, Inc. a $299,000 contract to design, engineer, manufacture, deliver and assemble a prefabricated vehicle bridge over the Riverside County Flood Control channel. R.E. Schultz was the only bidder. Valley News reported the vote as 5-0.
The bid priced three designs, and staff recommended the most expensive one:
Bridge configuration | Design and manufacturing | Delivery and assembly | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Warren Truss | $229,000 | $63,000 | $292,000 |
Flat Truss | $225,000 | $63,000 | $288,000 |
Bow String Truss | $236,000 | $63,000 | $299,000 |
A bowstring truss has curved top arches, the shape Valley News illustrated with the 1876 Nodaway River Bridge in Iowa. The Wildomar bridge has to be on site and assembled, ready for installation, by July 2027. Setting it on its foundations is not part of this contract and will be bid separately. The city's deadline to the prior owner is still September 30, 2027.
So mid-2027 is the earliest staff estimate for Palomar access, and September 30, 2027 is the contract deadline. Neither date is an announced opening day, and the city has not announced one.
The amenities are planned, but most of the money isn't there yet
The full design is ambitious for an open space this quiet. The October 2024 environmental study lists 65 parking spaces in two lots, one off Gierson and one at the southwest corner on Palomar. It also lists a disc golf course, a community garden, a butterfly and pollinator garden, a bird observation area, a raptor perch, a lawn playfield, exercise stations, picnic tables, shade structures, solar lighting, pet stations, drinking fountains and restrooms. The plan also calls for curbs, gutters and sidewalks on Gierson and Palomar, an extension of Gierson and a widening of Palomar for site access. The site would be rezoned as open space.
The city's phasing shows how much of that is paid for:
- Phase 0-A: fencing, fence screening and gates. Under contract.
- Phase 0-B: the Palomar Street parking lot and bridge. The bridge is under contract.
- Phase 1: an improved trail network and landscaping. No funding has been identified.
- Phase 2: full build-out of the park amenities.
The August staff report says plainly that "the total construction cost for the Park exceeds available funding." Staff are looking for grants, which "take time and are not guaranteed." The money in hand covers the contract work. The adopted FY 2026/27 Capital Improvement Program sets aside $1.2 million for Phases 0-A and 0-B, including construction administration and inspection. The two contracts plus contingencies come to $698,890, all paid from the city's DIF Park Improvement Fund 461. The June report says later phases "are being designed but have not yet been scheduled." Architerra is the design consultant.
Even after the bridge opens, then, visitors will probably find something close to what is there now: unimproved trails, routine weed abatement and tree trimming, and pepper trees along the edges. Disc golf and the community garden have to wait for money the city has not yet found.
Until then, Marna O'Brien Park is down the road
The city's nearest existing park is Marna O'Brien Park at 20505 Palomar Street, and it is hosting the next city event on the street. Breakfast with Santa is on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 8 to 11 a.m., according to the City of Wildomar calendar.
A few public dates are coming up on the 20-acre park. The fence and the gates at the existing bridges are due by February 28, 2027. The bridge has to be assembled on site by July 2027. Setting it on its foundations will happen under a separate contract. The bridge obligation to CAFH comes due on September 30, 2027.
If you live near Palomar Street or Gierson Avenue and want to talk about what a park on this timeline could mean for your home, Your Home Selling Pros can help. David Limon and Maurice Johnson keep track of projects like this across Southwest Riverside County, and we're glad to share what we know in plain terms, in English or Spanish. Contact us.
