In a proposal city officials say will produce long-planned projects and make up for previously deferred upgrades, the Riverside City Council is set to vote this week on the initial plans for a $780 million citywide proposal for municipal facilities and infrastructure. Called the “Riverside Renaissance Initiative,” the spending plan outlines funding for new parks,…
Now that the Orange Blossom Festival is officially kaput, officials in Riverside are eyeing an enlarged Festival of Lights as a quasi-replacement for the annual citrus celebration. Already a great success in its own right, the annual FOL draws tens of thousands of visitors from throughout Southern California during the winter holidays. The centerpiece of…
A roundup of local items making the news… With the announcement of a location at the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside, The Cheesecake Factory joins a growing list of upscale chains coming to Inland Southern California: “We probably received about 2,000 offers, and we will open 20 stores this year,” said Cheesecake Factory spokesman Howard…
Sunday, September 24, 2006 – A few photos and thoughts while browsing various new home developments in both Riverside and Corona. The trip begins with the Alta Cresta development in southeastern Riverside. In most respects, Alta Cresta is the second major phase of the city’s master-planned Orangecrest development, both of which actually began as county…
A proposed medical school for UC Riverside received an important endorsement this week as an advisory group recommended the continuation of planning to the UC Regents: Rory Hume, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and co-chairman of an advisory group to UC President Robert Dynes, told a UC Board of Regents’ committee meeting…
Saturday, September 16, 2006 – A few photos and thoughts while strolling the Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Riverside. The weather was sunny and mild as folks browsed the quaint stores or grabbed a bite to eat. Paper covers the windows of the future Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which is scheduled to open…
Just as Riverside was about to roll out its new “Smart Park” parking plan for downtown, city officials decided to make some minor, yet significant changes, most of which were the result of complaints. Gone are the multiple rates and times of enforcement — they’re now uniform at all Smart Park locations ($1/hr, 8 a.m….
This weekend marks the last time you’ll be able to see all (or nearly all) of the large “art” oranges in downtown Riverside as the very successful “The Giant Orange Artventure” is coming to an end. Last June, after many months of artistic preparation, 32 fiberglass oranges were “planted” in various locations throughout downtown. Each…
This month, the City of Riverside rolls out a new parking plan for downtown. In short, parking within most areas of the downtown core during weekday business hours now requires payment and/or validation. In essence, the city has divided up the downtown business core into 3 parking zones: 2-hour, 4-hour and city-owned parking garages. Parking…
A recent posting at DenverInfill Blog regarding the various marketing ploys behind the naming of new residential subdivisions caught our eye, if only because the phenomenon described, er panned, indeed is quite evident here within Inland Southern California. In today’s “image is everything” marketing world, the need for new housing developments to have catchy names…
