The 301-day design-build project will relocate the City Clerk's Office to the ground floor and add a grab-and-go food area, funded partly through Measure Z reserves.
Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday! Tonight is the night. The Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forum kicks off this evening with the Ward 2 race, and we could not be more excited. The room is expected to be standing room only, and moderating the series is someone whose name means something in this city: Dan Bernstein, who spent 32 years at the Press-Enterprise writing a must-read column grounded in real reporting discipline. If you've been on the fence, consider this your invitation. Be sure to RSVP so we know to expect you — it's free.
Council Approves Pilot Program to Redistribute Unused Housing Capacity Along University Avenue
The University Avenue Density Transfer Pilot Program lets developers move unused residential capacity between parcels — without increasing the corridor's overall housing limit.
City Council members deliberate during Tuesday's meeting, where they unanimously approved a housing density transfer pilot program along the University Avenue corridor.
Riverside can now shuffle unused housing development rights between properties along University Avenue, a tool city officials hope will unlock stalled housing projects in the corridor.
Why it matters: University Avenue has capacity for nearly 6,800 homes — but fewer than 10% have been built. This program gives developers a new mechanism to make projects pencil out.
Driving the news: The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to launch the University Avenue Density Transfer Pilot Program, covering parcels from Park Avenue to the 215 Freeway.
How it works: Developers can move unused residential capacity two ways:
Through a city-run bank where eligible properties deposit or withdraw units
Through direct transfers negotiated between a donor and receiver property owner
Yes, but: Most parcels can donate units, but fully built residential lots, properties without residential capacity, and most Housing Element opportunity sites are excluded. Affordable housing projects will also need a separate housing agreement.
What's next: City staff will return in roughly a year with a report on whether to expand or make the program permanent.
Riverside Fines for Code Violations to Jump as High as $1,000 Under New Ordinance
The City Council updated an administrative fine structure that had been unchanged since 1999, raising the maximum penalty from $500 to $1,000.
Riverside's maximum fine for repeat municipal code violations triples to $1,000 under a new ordinance the City Council approved Tuesday.
Why it matters: Property owners and businesses who ignore code violations — think overgrown lots, unpermitted work, or nuisance properties — face significantly steeper penalties starting now.
By the numbers: The updated fine structure:
1st offense: $100 (unchanged)
2nd offense: $500 (up from $200)
3rd or subsequent offense: $1,000 (up from $500)
The backstory: The previous fine amounts date to 1999. City staff argued they'd grown too low to motivate compliance, shifting enforcement costs onto taxpayers.
What's next: The Land Use Committee unanimously passed the change Jan. 12. City staff will report back in one year on whether the higher penalties are improving compliance.
Riverside Pet Shelter at Capacity, Needs Fosters and Adopters
The nonprofit is juggling capacity pressures shared by county animal services while offering residents multiple ways to step up for animals in need.
Adopters and their new dogs celebrate at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. (Courtesy Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center)
The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center is at capacity for adult dogs, with economic pressures pushing more pets into the shelter system than staff can handle.
Why it matters: If you've considered adopting or fostering a pet, right now is when it counts — every placement directly relieves a shelter system stretched well beyond capacity.
Driving the news: As of early April, the center had 31 dogs in foster care. Its partner agency, Riverside County Department of Animal Services, was operating at more than 200% capacity.
The center regularly pulls animals from county facilities to free up space there — a pipeline that only works if the center itself has room.
The backstory: Staff point to housing instability, rising costs, and limited access to low-cost spay and neuter services as root causes — meaning more animals are entering the system than homes can absorb.
What they're saying: "The 'problem' isn't necessarily less adoptions happening, but instead it's more pets available than there is space to house them," the organization said.
What's next: The PAC Walk is Saturday, May 9 — a monthly morning walk where participants walk alongside adoptable pets at the center. The center also runs low-cost vaccination and spay/neuter clinics open to the public.
Go deeper: Find adoptable pets, foster applications, volunteer sign-ups and the full event calendar at petsadoption.org. The center is at 6165 Industrial Ave.; call (951) 688-4340. (3 min. read)
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