The Riverside City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an exclusive negotiating agreement with Adrenaline Sports Resorts Collaborative for a proposed $200 million adventure sports complex and mixed-use development that could transform a long-closed former golf course and potentially attract Olympic events to the city.
The agreement marks the first step toward developing the 126-acre site in the city's Northside neighborhood, where thevacant Riverside Golf Course has remained unused since 2009, costing taxpayers $1.6 million annually to maintain.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. How many years has Riverside missed taking their shots? Let's take it," said Councilmember Sean Mill before joining his colleagues in approving the six-month negotiating period, which can be extended twice for additional six-month terms.
The proposed Riverside Adventure Center would include whitewater rapids, a wave garden lagoon for surfing, sport climbing walls, zip lines, an amphitheater, and extensive trails. The project also includes a village center with a grocery store, retail spaces, a hotel, and 722 housing units — 25% of which would be designated as affordable housing.
A New Chapter for the Northside
The development represents a potential turning point for an area long seeking economic investment.
"The Northside neighborhood has historically been the neglected child of Riverside—lacking basic services like a grocery store, adequate infrastructure, and variety of recreational activities," said Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone in a statement Tuesday night after the meeting. "The adventure park proposal puts the Northside on an upward trajectory to end this historical cycle."
During Tuesday's meeting, Falcone elaborated on the area's history, noting that "many people thought that the city of Riverside ended once you hit 3rd Street, 1st street and there was not that everything beyond that was no man's land or was another city."
"We tried it previously as master developer. Didn't work. We tried it piecemeal. Didn't work. And we're back here," Falcone added, referencing previous unsuccessful attempts to develop the site.
The development aligns with the Northside Specific Plan, a community-driven vision adopted in 2020 after extensive public engagement.
Brandon Ripley, Chief Commercialization Officer for ASR Collaborative, emphasized that the adventure center would be accessible to all residents.
"The Adventure Center is free and open to the public to access," Ripley said. "We'll have a variety of after school and summer camp programs for the local youth. These programs include stem and steam based instruction that encourage and teach students how to safely engage with the outdoors."
Economic Impact and Olympic Potential
City officials project the development could create approximately 2,800 jobs and attract 500,000 visitors annually while saving the city the current $1.6 million yearly maintenance costs.
"Our work with the city will establish a vibrant mixed use community anchored by an adventure centre that provides brick and mortar, provides recreational opportunities from nature hikes to world class whitewater and surf for the more adventurous," Ripley told the council.
Footage from facilities in Charlotte and Montgomery that ASR's team helped design and operate shows the types of whitewater rafting, climbing, and outdoor activities proposed for Riverside. (Courtesy City of Riverside)
Riverside Chamber of Commerce President Nicholas Adcock voiced support for the project, calling it "an opportunity for capitalizing on the economics of sport and recreation" while providing "vital amenities that we know are needed in that area of the community."
The Olympic connection has already sparked community organization. Michelle Rubin, president of Regional Properties, a real estate development company with significant investments in Riverside, announced plans to form a Riverside Olympic Committee.
"We are going to form a Riverside Olympic Committee... to promote the city of Riverside to make, to let the world know that this is going to be a venue for Olympic sports and/or Olympic delegations to stay and train and never leave," Rubin told the council.
The development would be designed to Olympic standards, potentially hosting events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though officials stress the project isn't dependent on securing Olympic venues.
Jerry Neuman, ASR's lead negotiator and LA28 liaison, said the facility would "be built to be rated as an Olympic rated facility and world sport facility for a number of sports from Whitewater to climbing to BMX skateboarding."
"The reality is some of the Olympic venues have been spoken about, but we are engaging with many international federations in some of the emerging sports who are still looking for that venue," Neuman added.
Councilmember Steven Robillard, who works in real estate development, explained why previous attempts to develop the site had failed.
"The kind of fatal flaw of it was the giant open space requirement in the middle of was very, very cost intensive and a drain on the profit margin," Robillard said. "Just putting a grocery store in the middle of nowhere, it would not survive and it doesn't make sense."
Community Concerns Remain
Despite unanimous council support, some residents expressed reservations about the project's scale and impact on the neighborhood.
Erin Snyder, a 40-year advocate for the Northside community, told the council, "This is not what we have spent so many years working for."
Several callers raised concerns about traffic impacts, compatibility with residential areas, and whether the project would truly benefit longtime residents.
"If you're going for the Olympics, you better find a bigger area for that," said caller Aurora Chavez. "You're trying to mix residential with an amusement water park, and that just doesn't work."
Councilmember Jim Perry acknowledged these concerns, noting that "an awful lot of work" lies ahead.
"I think there's going to need to be a lot of conversation on how this is going to impact that specific neighborhood," Perry said.
ASR representatives committed to extensive community engagement as negotiations move forward.
"The work to do with the community, the work to do with labor, the work to do with how we're going to set up employer sourcing our hiring, that starts now," Ripley assured the council.
Environmental Considerations
The project would also address environmental concerns, according to developers. Ripley noted that despite featuring water attractions, the development would use "less than four [percent] of what the previous golf course that occupied that site used previously."
"While water plays a prominent role in the park's features, it's important to note that our project will use less than four holes of what the previous golf course that occupied that site used previously," Ripley told the council, addressing potential water usage concerns in the drought-prone region.
Additionally, the project proposal includes plans to restore the Springbrook Arroyo, a natural waterway running through the property.
"This area has a long history of providing outdoor recreation to Riverside residents and visitors with the golf course and Ab Brown soccer fields," the ASR team told The Gazette. "Outdoor recreational use and exercise was reinforced as an important component of future development by the community during the adoption of the Northside Specific Plan."
What Comes Next
The exclusive negotiating agreement requires ASR Collaborative to provide a $75,000 deposit to cover city expenses during the negotiation period.
During this time, the city and developer will work to determine the final purchase price based on fair market value appraisals, establish performance timelines, and negotiate community benefits.
"Next for me would be two main focus areas," Falcone said. "One is the community benefits...roads, infrastructure and of course the sensitivity to Reid Park. And then second to that though is how will this project bring people to Riverside?"
If negotiations are successful, the parties will enter into a Disposition and Development Agreement that would require additional council approval before construction could begin.
"This is a unique opportunity," ASR's Brandon Ripley told the Gazette. "The ASR Team's design allows for people of all ages to recreate and enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle and adventure within their abilities at all levels."
