Riverside weighs a pilot to shift unused housing density onto vacant University Avenue lots, while at RAMās Free Sunday, Quitapenas turned the gallery into a dance floor.
Riverside weighs a pilot to shift unused housing density onto vacant University Avenue lots, while at RAMās Free Sunday, Quitapenas turned the gallery into a dance floor.
Groundbreaking for the SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library, a future hub for learning and community connection. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside)
Tuesday Gazette: September 9, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday! This past weekend marked an exciting milestone as our community came together to break ground on the future SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library. Honoring a hometown hero and Medal of Honor recipient, the new library will bring a welcoming space for learning, programs, and connection when it opens in 2027. A big step forward for the Eastside and for Riverside as a whole!
City Considers Pilot Program to Transfer Housing Density Along University Avenue
Staff proposes allowing property owners to move unused residential development rights between parcels to increase housing on vacant lots.
A vacant lot along University Avenue. (Ken Crawford)
A pilot program allowing property owners to transfer unused housing density along University Avenue could unlock development on 14 vacant city-owned lots in Riverside. The Land Use Committee discussed the proposal Monday, which aims to boost housing capacity in an underutilized corridor.
Driving the news: The University Avenue Residential Density Transfer Pilot Program would enable moving residential development rights between properties, potentially increasing housing units on receiving sites.
The corridor currently has only 900 units despite approval for up to 6,819.
Why it matters: Fourteen city-owned surplus properties have struggled to attract developers due to low permitted housing capacity, with some allowing fewer than 10 units each.
Combined, these properties can accommodate only 210 housing units under current zoning.
The details: Staff presented three program models, including direct transfers and a credit bank system. The committee favors a hybrid approach allowing both direct transfers and withdrawals from a city-managed credit bank.
The program would operate within a high-quality transit corridor exempt from parking requirements under state law.
What's next: The committee directed staff to prepare the proposal for full City Council consideration, bypassing further Land Use Committee review.
When Music Moves You: A Gallery Becomes a Dance Floor
At Riverside Art Museum's Free Sunday, one woman's uninhibited response to Quitapenas transformed community programming into something elemental.
One woman claimed the gallery floor with fearless joy as Quitapenas lit up the Riverside Art Museumās Free Sunday. (Ken Crawford)
Loca, superstar Afro-Latin band Quitapenas performed Sunday at the Riverside Art Museum as part of Cosme Cordovaās Division 9 gallery takeover during the museum's monthly Free Sunday programming. The event, hosted by Richie "Deladeso" Velazquez, also featured Los Angeles-based band Milpa.
But it was what happened in the audience that transformed the afternoon from critical observation into something more elemental and participatory.
It was hot in the gallery. Most people stayed seated. But one woman was carried away by an irresistible rhythm.
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No Council meeting this week, but other agendas take up land-use pilots and freeway fixes, while Riversideās Diaper Bank kicks off its 25,000-diaper āCram the Vanā drive.
Sixty years after Lowell Elementary burned, Riverside prepares to open Ofelia Valdez Yeager Eastside Elementary, honoring decades of community advocacy while the arson remains a mystery and and Meliiaās Disneyland fund sees exciting progress.
Neighbors favor Trader Joeās for vacant Rite Aid site near Woodcrest and this weekās games feature Lancer womenās soccer and CSDRās home opener.
