How should Riverside turn approved housing projects into homes residents can afford — and share responsibility for addressing homelessness with neighboring communities
The Gazette asked City Council candidates in wards 2 and 4 questions about housing and homelessness, including how they would protect the city’s prohousing designation, resolve the University Terrace dispute and help approved developments reach construction.
Ward 2 candidate Aram Ayra and Ward 4 candidate Rich Vandenberg responded; Ward 2 candidate Gracie Torres declined to respond and Ward 4 Councilmember Chuck Conder did not respond by press deadline.
The questions come as Riverside seeks renewal of its state prohousing designation, which can give the city an advantage when competing for certain housing and infrastructure grants. State officials are also reviewing the city’s housing decisions following its January rejection of the University Terrace project, a proposed permanent supportive housing project.
The questions and candidates’ full responses appear below. Answers are published verbatim, without edits to wording, spelling or capitalization.
1. Protecting Riverside’s prohousing designation
Riverside is seeking renewal of its prohousing status while the state reviews whether the University Terrace rejection puts that status at risk. The city also permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and met less than 20 percent of its overall state-mandated housing allocation. If elected, how would you protect the city's prohousing designation?
Aram Ayra, Ward 2: I’ll work to protect Riverside’s prohousing designation by addressing the state’s concerns and delivering on our housing commitments. For the projects that meet City standards, I would push for faster approvals and support affordable housing with on-site services like mental health care and case management. I would like to focus on building along existing R4-zoned corridors like University Ave and bringing residents into the planning process early on. I would also prioritize strengthening our local Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help offset construction costs and encourage more housing that residents can actually afford.
Rich Vandenberg, Ward 4: Riverside’s Prohousing designation gives the city an advantage when competing for certain state housing and infrastructure funding, yet we remain substantially behind our housing allocation, particularly at the lowest income levels. If elected, I would require quarterly public reporting on our RHNA progress, broken down by income level and tracking projects from approval through permitting and construction. I would also direct staff to work with the California Department of Housing and Community Development to identify any deficiencies threatening our Prohousing designation and bring specific corrective measures to the Council for action.
2. Resolving the University Terrace dispute
The city and California's Civil Rights Department are in mediation over the University Terrace discrimination complaint. What outcome would you want the city to agree to?
Aram Ayra, Ward 2: I would want the City to reach an agreement that gives University Terrace a clear path forward and ensures we evaluate housing proposals without external influences. We need to address the potential discrimination concerns head-on and work closely with the developer and County to ensure residents have reliable on-site services, including mental health care and case management. I would also push for clear commitments on property management, funding for services, and long-term accountability. Residents should have a voice in how the project operates as we work to provide stable housing and address concerns about safety & upkeep.
Rich Vandenberg, Ward 4: My preferred outcome is a mediated agreement that allows University Terrace to move forward, assuming the project and funding remain viable. The agreement should also establish clear, objective standards for evaluating future supportive and affordable housing projects, ensuring decisions are based on the merits of each project rather than assumptions about the people who would live there. I believe mediation provides the best opportunity to resolve this dispute constructively and establish a clear path forward.
3. Getting approved housing built
Beyond streamlining the housing permitting process, what specific financial incentives or city-funded mechanisms would you put in place to actually get shovels in the ground on already-approved projects?
Aram Ayra, Ward 2: I would focus on strengthening our local Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help offset construction costs and provide financial incentives for pre-approved projects that deliver housing residents can afford. I would also explore targeted fee incentives and infrastructure partnerships that help projects move forward while protecting taxpayers and delivering clear public benefits. If we provide any City assistance, it needs to come with firm construction deadlines, enforceable affordability commitments, and repayment requirements if developers fail to deliver. I would focus on projects that can start construction soon and demonstrate that City support would make the difference in getting them built.
Rich Vandenberg, Ward 4: I would prioritize existing housing resources, including HOME, PLHA and eligible CDBG funds, for already-approved, construction-ready projects with documented financing gaps. Funding should be based on objective criteria, with construction deadlines and safeguards protecting public dollars. I would also identify suitable City and Housing Authority properties that could support affordable housing and consider land contributions or long-term ground leases to reduce development costs. Any use of public land should include clear affordability requirements, construction timelines and performance standards, allowing Riverside to leverage resources we already have to get approved housing projects into construction.
4. Coordinating services for unhoused people
The city recently passed an ordinance requiring 24-hour notice before organizations drop off unhoused individuals in Riverside — does it address the root problem or just relocate it?
Aram Ayra, Ward 2: A 24-hour notice does not address the core issue, which is other cities and Counties shifting their responsibility onto Riverside’s limited resources. That’s unfair to our taxpayers and to unhoused people who may end up farther away from their support systems and familiar surroundings. I would direct the City Attorney’s Office to investigate this very real issue of “homeless dumping” and pursue available legal remedies that hold responsible agencies accountable and recover the costs they impose on our City. Riverside needs to defend its residents and resources and ensure that other jurisdictions meet their responsibilities to the people who need their help.
Rich Vandenberg , Ward 4: I support the ordinance because Riverside shouldn’t have people dropped off without advance coordination or a plan for services. The purpose of the 24-hour notice should be to ensure someone arriving in Riverside can be connected with appropriate services, treatment or housing rather than simply being dropped off without support. But the ordinance alone won’t address the root causes of homelessness. That requires prevention, shelter and housing capacity, behavioral-health and substance-use treatment, accountability, appropriate enforcement, and regional cooperation so jurisdictions aren’t simply moving people from one community to another.
This questionnaire is part of the Raincross Gazette’s ongoing series with City Council candidates in wards 2 and 4. More questions and candidate responses on issues in Riverside to follow.
