Mining Expansion Approved in Corona : Permit: Neighbors protest adding 53 acres to All American Asphalt’s 180-acre tract. But a unanimous City Council says safeguards for nearby homes are ample.

Despite angry pleas from nearby residents, the City Council has approved a mining company’s plans to expand its operations 53 acres to the east.

All American Asphalt, which has mined a 180-acre site just east of Corona for sand and gravel aggregate for the past 20 years, was granted the permit after a unanimous vote by the council late Wednesday.

Council members said they are convinced that extra requirements placed on the company will protect nearby housing.

The controversy was the latest battle between mining companies and their residential neighbors, as urban sprawl moves closer to the once-isolated mineral sites in the Temescal Valley. Mining companies have operated in the area for more than a century, but in the past decade the valley has had unprecedented residential growth.

Corona’s council chamber was packed as one of the largest crowds in recent memory watched through windows and listened to an outdoor speaker system as All American officials, employees and residents debated the expansion for nearly three hours.

Many opponents came from Four Seasons, a new 441-home development north of the expansion area in unincorporated Riverside County. Many of the residents said they did not know when they bought houses that they would be living so close to a mine.

“Would you feel comfortable that your home investment was next to that mine?” asked Stephanie West, a Four Seasons resident. “There can be no compromise for the safety and welfare of the people in the name of progress.”

Company officials said that the expansion will bring mining no closer to homes than operations are now and that blasting areas will be buffered by a 1,500-foot zone when the expansion begins in five to 15 years.

But residents in Home Gardens, an unincorporated community just north of the mining site, said they already feel the blasts.

Donna McCormick, a consultant for All American, countered that blasting levels will continue to be well below federal limits.

“People feel the blast, and this does not necessarily mean that it is doing damage,” McCormick said.

City Council members said they are convinced that enough controls have been placed on the companies to prevent the blasts from causing damage. The city plans to form an advisory committee to respond to complaints about the blasts and will hire an independent firm to monitor blasting intensity.

All American will also have to resubmit plans to the City Council at each phase of its expansion, so Corona can review proposals to mine on ridgelines.

“All American Asphalt did not come in to City Hall and get what they wanted,” said Councilman Gary R. Miller, who added that the restrictions are more extensive than those required by Riverside County.

Company employees and nearby businessmen also supported the expansion, saying it will be healthy for the area’s economy.