Major projects happening in every Ward 1 neighborhood!

Fellow Riversider,

The first six weeks in office have been a whirlwind and to say we have been hard at work for you would be an understatement! Ward 1 is comprised of four neighborhoods—Downtown, Wood Streets, Eastside, and Northside. It is my pleasure to report that there are major infrastructure and/or parks projects underway in each of these neighborhoods.

Knowing that it can be cumbersome to track all these projects, their timelines, their funding sources, and so on, every couple of months I will share with you a list (in no particular order!) of projects of significance in each of the four neighborhoods. The below lists are not meant to be exhaustive, rather, they are to provide you with 5 items outside your front door that will make your ward—and city—a better place to live. So, let’s jump right in!

Downtown

1. Traffic study underway for Redwood/University/Mission Inn Avenue to examine how to better manage speed and cut through traffic at the “porkchop” median at University and Redwood Drive.
2. Mission Inn Avenue repaving, narrow center median installation, and other traffic safety measures were approved by the state, however funding is not released to the city until 2026.
3. Market Street water and sewer main replacement happening now, repaving will follow several months after sewer/water work is complete. The road will be bumpy until then.
4. Museum of Riverside renovation and expansion is slated to break ground by end of the calendar year with an approximate 18-month construction.
5. The California Museum of Photography (owned and operated by UCR) is in the final stages of restoring their art deco façade. This is the historic Kress building on Main Street.

Fairmount Park improvements are also numerous:

1. A general plan is in the works to map all the park needs for the next 20 years.
2. A park-wide signage overhaul was approved by City Council. All wayfinding and monument signage will match and be in Mission-style design.
3. City Council approved funding to dredge Fairmount Lake (first time since 2007) which will allow pedal boats to be used again for the first time in 5 years. Dredging will happen in late summer and will cause an unpleasant odor during the work. Dredged material will be placed in the former boy scouts camp, dried out, and later utilized for its nutrient-rich benefits.
4. An overhaul of the rose garden will take place in the winter with a new gazebo, paver pathways, and more roses.
5. Securing funding for accessible sidewalks around the lakes is in the works. Timeline for this is at least a year.

Wood Streets

1. Damaged and missing clay tile toppers on historic Wood Streets monument lights have been repaired, next up is repairs to the stucco, repainting and more historically accurate signage on these monuments at Oakwood, Linwood, and Bandini Avenue.
2. Reinstallation of the historic concrete column light standards at the corners of Brockton and Rosewood and Brockton and Edgewood is a project in the near future. This will require molds cast from the preexisting columns on Elmwood, Larchwood, and Fairfax Avenue.
3. Electrical box public art program will soon begin with our inaugural box at Magnolia and Briscoe, the artistic design will be an homage to Rosewood Pl.
4. Road repaving, along with sidewalk, ramp, and gutter repairs continues on Tower, Rubidoux, Virginia, and Palm Avenue.
5. Tree trimming has been completed throughout the neighborhood with the exception of trees where nesting birds were found. Those will be trimmed at a later time.

Eastside

1. Road repaving projects have been approved for residential streets including Pennsylvania, Rancho, Argentina, Orly, Windsor, Alverez, and Carlton Place.
2. Road repaving is currently underway on Sedgewick Avenue with completion planned for end of June 2024.
3. This Fall, the fifth phase of the historic street light standard replacement program will commence with nineteen Eastside residential streets receiving new, historically-accurate and energy efficient street light standards. This is funded through RPU infrastructure improvement dollars.
4. Parking lot repaving for Bordwell Park was approved and is now in the final stages before construction begins.
5. Plans are underway with an architect for the construction of a gymnasium at Bordwell Park, as the Eastside is the only community without an indoor gymnasium space at a city park.

Northside

1. City Council approved a multi-million-dollar investment in the Hunter Substation which powers the Northside with electricity. The substation is sixty years old and is beginning to fail, which puts energy delivery in jeopardy. Construction will take several years.
2. Road repaving projects have been approved for residential streets including American, Fairmount, Federal, Finly, Lofton, Nick, and Sunup Circle.
3. Parking lot repaving for Reid Park was approved and is now in the final stages before construction begins.
4. Reid Park pool will become one of only a handful of heated pools in the city. Heater installation will take place in Fall 2024.
5. The groundbreaking for senior housing on Mulberry and Holding Street occurs this month. A neighborhood-accessible park at the corner will also be park of this housing project.

Questions about an item on this list or about something else in your neighborhood? Please do not reply to this email, instead, email me directly at PFalcone@RiversideCA.gov

The work for you continues!