Sleepy Hollow Landmark Purchased by City of Chino Hills

Championed by Chino Hills council member Ray Marquez, a longtime resident of Carbon Canyon, the historic liquor store property in Sleepy Hollow on Carbon Canyon Road has been acquired by the City.

As reported in this weekend's Champion, the store and lot, comprising just over an acre, were purchased for $600,000 with almost 30% of the price considered a charitable donation to the City by longtime owner Gus Fedail.  This means that the City effectively pays $425,000.  The last business to operate there, the Canyon Market, closed in 2012. 

Before that it was Party House #2 (the main Party House is on Chino Hills Parkway and Pipeline Avenue), Joe Tater's restaurant and tavern, Ichabod's restaurant and store, and others, including a gas station.  One of the concerns about acquiring the property was whether the old gas tanks were still present, but it was learned they were removed long ago.  The future of the aging structure is to be discussed.

Council member Marquez has long advocated acquiring the store property for a new community center, replacing the current one further east and on the south side of Carbon Canyon Road and where a former volunteer fire house and community center was located for decades. 

Noting that parking at the current Sleepy Hollow Community Center is very limited, Marquez said that he'd like to see recreational, social, and nature programs, adding that the City owns 3 acres just to the east along Carbon [Canyon] Creek, where improvements, such as a nature trail, could be made. 

In addition, he has wanted to improve the property as a bus stop to improve access and safety, as Chino Valley Unified School District's buses use adjacent Oak Way Lane as the furthest west stop in the Canyon, but have to make difficult roundabout turns there.

In fact, from the founding of Sleepy Hollow in 1923, that section along the creek had a swimming pool along with a well and served as an outdoor gathering place for early residents and property owners, many of whom had weekend cabins when the community was a rural get-away.

Council member Marquez is hoping to hold community meetings soon to discuss the future of the building and property, so stay tuned for future developments!