City of Riverside, California Ward 6 Update

Jim Perry City Council Member - Ward 6

A Message From Your Council Member… 

We have several important informational City and Community Meetings that will be taking place in the next few weeks.  The dates will be provided throughout the information in this newsletter, so please mark your calendars. As always it is my honor and obligation to represent not just the City, but all residents within my entire Ward.  Below is a map of Ward 6, which covers parts of the following neighborhoods Arlanza, Arlington, La Sierra, La Sierra South and Ramona.

As a reminder, we will be hosting Quarterly Ward 6 Community meetings to update residents on the various projects and events coming to the ward.  The next scheduled Ward 6 Community meeting will be within the next few months.  We will host these Ward 6 Community Meetings in various locations throughout the ward to accommodate residents geographically from all neighborhoods.  We also plan to bring a City of Riverside Event to Ward 6 in the next year, so look for special announcements in the coming months.  

 

Jim Perry

JPerry@Riversideca.gov 

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Raising Cane’s Restaurant

 

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Restaurant is coming to Ward 6!  The newest Raising Cane’s will be opening later this month on Magnolia Avenue near the La Sierra Avenue intersection. “At Raising Cane’s you get an exceptionally high quality product served quickly and conveniently.” We welcome this new family and community friendly restaurant to the City of Riverside.

 

La Sierra/Collett Update

 

The Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the City of Riverside’s Community Development Department pertaining to the La Sierra/Collett property will be closing on October 12^th.  

 

Unfortunately, there is information about this Request for Proposal being disseminated within the community which is NOT accurate.  Here are a few facts:

• No project has been approved for this site.
• An RFP was issued for this site on August 9, 2017 and as of this date, no responses to the RFP have been received.
• No decisions have been made regarding this property.
• As in the past, if or when a qualified proposal is received, the developer will be required to make a presentation to the community and residents will have an opportunity to provide their input.
• In the past, multiple developers have made community presentations regarding multi-unit/multi-story projects and each time it was rejected by the residents. Due to the community feedback, no construction has taken place.
• If a developer submits a proposal, 2-3 neighbors, whose property is adjacent to the site will have the opportunity to sit-in and monitor the interviews with our City staff.

There are no plans nor has there been any discussion regarding the following for this site:

• A 3-story building
• A halfway house or homes
• Transitional housing for homeless services
• Drug/alcohol rehabilitation center
• Development of this site will NOT have a negative impact on our ability to provide fire and police services to our community.

 

Rezoning Location Update

 

I have been working on removing Ward 6 identified sites from the current proposed Rezoning Program.  Here is a DRAFT list of the sites I have successfully asked staff to remove from the proposed Rezoning Implementation Program:

• Property on Hole Avenue, between Hedrick and Jones Avenues.
• Property at the intersection of Hole and California Avenues.
• Two properties consisting of two parcels on west side of La Sierra Avenue, south of Collett Avenue.
• Property located on the west side of Van Buren Boulevard, and the north side of Challen Avenue.
• Property located on Crest Avenue south of the intersection of Crest and Wells Avenues.
• Property accessed by Janet Avenue between Picker Street and Challen Avenue.
• Property located on the east side of Buchanan Avenue north of Indiana Street.

 

C.U.R.E. Incredible Bulk Items

 

C.U.R.E. is a program that promotes the value of having a clean City, raises consciousness of litter habits and improves overall community pride and involvement. As part of its C.U.R.E. campaign, the City will host a bulky item and electronic waste collection event at Bryant Park on October 15^th, from 9am-2pm for items too large to fit into residential trash containers. Residents need to show their utility bill in order to dispose of their bulky trash and yard waste for free.  All items are collected free of charge for City residents.  Help us keep our City clean and well-maintained as we continue to discourage vandalism, graffiti, littering and crime.  Below are all the locations for the CURE Bulky Items Event on October 21^st from 9am-2pm: 

• Riverside Municipal Airport
• Bordwell Park
• Bryant Park
• Grove Community Church Parking Lot
• Collett Ave. between Golden Ave. and Stonewell Dr.

 

 

Transportation NOW

 

The RTA has monthly Transportation NOW Chapter meetings throughout Western Riverside County. This month the Greater Riverside Chapter meeting will be hosted in Riverside’s Ward 6. TNOW meets every second Thursday of every month and the next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 12^th at 3:00pm, Arlanza Library.  At this meetings, they will discuss ways to promote public transit and relieve traffic congestion in the surrounding communities. The meeting consist of members from the community and representatives from the colleges, universities, and local elected officials. We hope you will join us on October 12^th.

 

Community Development Block Grant Meeting

 

Our annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) meeting will be held on October 19^th at 6pm, Arlanza Community Center (8267 Philbin Avenue). Help us shape the future of community development projects geared towards the needs of low and moderate- income neighborhoods.  CDBG funds must be used for projects in low to moderate income neighborhoods only.  The CDBG program is a program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. This is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that works to provide services to the most vulnerable in our communities.  For more information contact the Community & Economic Development Department at (951) 826-5649 or visit www.RiversideCa.gov/grants.

 

RPU Community Meeting

 

The Riverside Public Utilities’ Department will be conducting Community Meetings over the next few weeks to update residents on current projects and potential proposed rate increases.  RPU has submitted a proposal to the Board of Public Utilities and City Council for an electric and water utility rate increase over the next 5 years. RPU needs additional revenues to replace aging infrastructure in order to protect the public health and safety of Riverside’s homes and businesses. Even after raising rates to make these important investments, RPU's rates will remain low compared to neighboring agencies. RPU has kept rates frozen for the past 7 years to help our customers recover from the Great Recession. Further delaying a rate increase puts our community at risk, and will lead to higher costs when critical systems fail. Please join Wards 6 & 7 residents on November 9^th at 6pm, La Sierra High School Library to provide input and feedback.  The City Council will vote on the proposed rate increase in January 2018.

 

Joint Ward 6 & 7 Meeting on Housing First

 

Wards 6 & 7 will co-host a community meeting regarding Housing First on October 25^th at 6:30pm, La Sierra Senior Center.  Housing First is an approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry. Supportive services are offered to maximize housing stability and prevent returns to homelessness as opposed to addressing predetermined treatment goals prior to permanent housing entry.  Please join us to learn more.

 

 

Alvord CARES Walk-A-Thon

 

The Alvord Unified School District’s “Alvord CARES” Committee will be hosting a community walk fundraiser to raise awareness of students in need of safe and good meals year around. The goal of the event is to bring the community together and collect food and monetary donations for Alvord CARES.  Support our efforts by joining us for this important walk on November 4^th at 9am, La Sierra High School.  For more information in making a can food or monetary donation prior to the event, please contact Anh Nguyen at (951) 509-5165 or email anh.nguyen@alvord.k12.ca.us .

 

 

Community Events

10/07 Riverside Boxing Club @ Villegas Community Center (1pm)

10/10 City Council @ Council Chambers/3900 Main St. (6:15pm)

10/12 Transportation NOW Meeting @ Arlanza Library (3:00pm)

10/12 Long Nights of Art & Innovation @ Downtown Riverside (6:00pm-11pm)

10/17 City Council @ Council Chambers/3900 Main St. (6:15pm)

10/18 Riverside Arts Academy Gala @ Cesar Chavez Center (6:00pm)

10/21 Love Riverside Events @ various locations (www.loveriverside.org)

10/24 City Council @ Council Chambers/3900 Main St. (6:15pm)

10/25 Joint Wards 6 & 7 Housing First Meeting @ La Sierra Senior Center (6:30pm)

11/1 Community Block Grant Development Meeting @ Arlanza Community Center (6:00pm)

11/4 Alvord CARES Walk-A-Thon @ La Sierra High School (9:00am)

11/7 City Council @ Council Chambers/3900 Main St. (6:15pm)

11/9 Joint Wards 6 & 7 RPU Meeting @ La Sierra High School Library (6:00pm)