City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MARCH 11, 2025 FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARDS: ALL
DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CITY’S GENERAL PLAN 2025 IN CALENDAR YEAR 2024 PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65400(A)(2) ISSUE:
Receive and file an Annual Progress Report on the status of the City’s General Plan 2025 and submit it to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, pursuant to California Government Code Section 65400 (a)(2).
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council:
Receive and file the 2024 Annual Progress Report for the City of Riverside’s General Plan 2025; and Direct staff to submit the Annual Progress Report for the City of Riverside’s General Plan 2025 to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, pursuant to California Government Code Section 65400 (a)(2).
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
In California, all jurisdictions must submit an Annual Progress Report (APR) on General Plan implementation, including project applications and approvals, processing times, and approval processes. Government Code Section 65400 requires the APR to be submitted to the Office of Planning and Research, and Department of Housing and Community Development and include the following:
The status of the General Plan and progress in its implementation.
The degree to which an approved General Plan complies with the State’s General Plan guidelines, and the date of the last revision to the General Plan.
The progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs assessment (RHNA), and local efforts to remove governmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and development of housing.
A list of sites rezoned to accommodate that portion of the City’s share of the RHNA.
The number of housing development applications received in the prior year.
The number of units included in all development applications in the prior year.
The number of units approved and disapproved in the prior year.
Within the Housing Element cycle, the number of net new units of housing, including rental and for-sale, issued a completed entitlement, building permit, or certificate of occupancy, and the income category, by area median income category, for each.
The number of affordable housing projects that requested processing under the State’s streamlining process (Government Code Section 65913.4(a)); and the number of units approved under the streamlining process, including those that conflicted with the State’s objective planning standards.
BACKGROUND:
The City’s General Plan 2025 was adopted in November of 2007 and includes the General Plan, Riverside Municipal Code (RMC) Title 19 - Zoning Code, RMC Title 18 – Subdivision Code, RMC Title 7 – Noise Control, and Citywide Design and Sign Guidelines. In October 2021, the Council adopted Phase 1 of the General Plan Update, which included updated Housing and Public Safety Elements and new Environmental Justice Policies to meet the State’s 6th Cycle Housing Element requirements. The objectives and policies in the General Plan 2025 and Phase 1 Update provide the City’s vision for growth based on input from residents.
General Plan 2025 includes 12 elements, including the State-required elements and optional elements such as Arts and Culture, Education, Air Quality, Public Facilities and Infrastructure, Parks and Recreation, and Historic Preservation. General Plan 2025 includes an Implementation Plan, which contains implementation tools prescribing specific actions, responsible entities, and timelines. The implementation tools show how the objectives and policies of the General Plan will be implemented. The Phase 1 Update also includes implementation tools through its Action Plan.
The General Plan Annual Progress Report (APR) (Attachment 1) reflects the City’s progress in fulfilling the General Plan 2025 objectives, policies, and actions during the 2024 calendar year. Government Code Section 65400, which provides submittal requirements for the report as mentioned above, also requires the City Council to review the report at a public meeting prior to its annual submission, providing the public with an opportunity to comment on the report.
DISCUSSION:
All City departments provided implementation progress for General Plan 2025 and the recently updated Housing and Public Safety Elements and Environmental Justice Policies of the Phase 1 Update. The APR discusses General Plan 2025 and Phase 1 Update implementation and necessary course adjustments, correlation of land use decisions, and progress in meeting the City’s share of regional housing needs based on the 6th Cycle Housing Element.
GENERAL PLAN PROGRESS
The following table summarizes each department’s progress in implementing General Plan 2025 and the recently updated Housing and Public Safety Elements and Environmental Justice Policies:
Table 1 – Implementation Summary
Department
Summary
Community & Economic Development
Entered into a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with WSP, USA, and kicked off the Phase 2 General Plan Update and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The Update is expected to be completed in early 2027.
Released permit-ready ADU construction plans, prepared with Design Path Studios, as part of the ADU streamlining program Dwell Riverside.
Comprehensively updated Title 20 of the Riverside Municipal Code which revised the processes for Approvals and Hearings, CEQA, Designation, Certificates of Appropriateness, amongst other and clarification and revisions to technical language.
Housing and Human Services
Completed the following two Housing First developments: (1) The Aspire TAY project, development of 32 affordable housing units, (2) Mulberry Cottages, development of 10 tiny cottages to provide affordable housing for our unhoused population.
Continued to support 16 permanent supportive housing units and 12 Rapid Re-Housing clients.
Funded ongoing shelter operations of 60 congregate shelter beds and 23 non-congregate shelter beds.
Public Safety (Fire Department, Police Department, Emergency Management) The City of Riverside Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Division hosted the National FEMA US&R Grant/Financial training at the Riverside Convention Center. 80 people from the 28 National US&R System traveled to Riverside to complete the 3 day financial workshop.
The City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved pending adoption on August 27, 2024. The Plan evaluates and assesses the identified hazards pose to the City, review and assess past disaster occurrences and community engagement set goals to mitigate potential risks to reduce or climate long-term risk to people, property and the environment .
Public Works
Accepted grant funds for three ATP Cycle 6 projects (Five Points intersection, Mitchell Avenue Side path, Civil Rights Walk) and are advancing project design efforts for each project.
Awarded the Citywide Safe Routes to School Project to a design consultant and completed individualized school mobility assessments for 49 public K-8 schools citywide. Individual and citywide Safe Routes to School Plans and reports are anticipated to be completed in 2025.
Established a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Bank Pilot Program to assist with development projects that have a VMT impact and modified the CEQA VMT threshold from 15% below baseline conditions to baseline conditions. The pilot program is anticipated to last for 24 months.
Riverside Public Utilities
Renewed the Tree Power program in 2024. The Program provides RPU customers with up to 6 free shade trees per year. The program has been in place for over 20 years and is responsible for 283,735 planted trees in the City of Riverside.
In 2024, RPU's Customer Engagement Team was awarded an Excellence in Communications Award from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for the team's work in providing rebate and assistance documents in braille and large print for customers with visual impairments. The Team continues providing translation of webpages, forms, bill inserts, and other materials to improve accessibility.
Library
Eastside Library is currently in the plan check phase with hopes to go to bid for a general contractor in February 2025 and hopefully have a groundbreaking Q2 2025.
Added multiple new online resources for customers including Overdrive (Libby) for ebooks and Kanopy for streaming videos. The Library has moved all resources formerly spent on DVDs and Books on CD to purchasing e audiobooks and streaming video as community technology needs have changed.
Museum
Hosted “Open Lobby” public engagement sessions for the renovation and expansion of the main Museum of Riverside facility.
Offered increased programming in 2024 at community centers and library branches; programming was free of charge, open to all, and available at many times of the day/week.
Progress continued toward eventual opening of the National Historic Landmark Harada House to the public, with an Interpretive Center. Interim public programming occurred at the site and virtually.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services
The River District Feasibility Plan being prepared by the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is nearly complete. This plan provides a vision for creating a vibrant and environmentally and fiscally sustainable public realm within the City along the Santa Ana River. The outreach and analysis has been completed and the final document is being drafted.
The Riverside Gateway Parks Master Plan project is nearing completion. Over several City park sites located along the Santa Ana River, the plan proposes to develop recreation improvements on approximately 50 acres of the 282 acres included in the project.
HOUSING PERMITTED UNITS
In October 2021, the City adopted a comprehensive update of the General Plan Housing Element for the 6th RHNA Cycle. The City’s 6th RHNA Cycle allocation saw a significant increase over the prior cycle with a final allocation of 18,458 units. RHNA progress is tracked and monitored annually by collecting data on the number of permitted units during the reporting period. Since the start of the RHNA cycle in October 2021 to the end of 2024, the City permitted 3,299 units. Of these units, 897 were permitted during the 2024 calendar year, all of which are market rate.
For Calendar Year 2024, the building permits issued include:
221 single family units
367 multifamily units
309 accessory dwelling units
A detailed breakdown of RHNA progress is included in Appendix B of the report.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report supports the City’s Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Priorities as follows:
Strategic Priority 1 – Arts, Culture and Recreation (All Goals) Strategic Priority 2 – Community Well-Being (All Goals) Strategic Priority 3 – Economic Opportunity (Goal 3.3)
Strategic Priority 4 – Environmental Stewardship (Goals 4.2 and 4.3) Strategic Priority 5 – High Performing Government (Goals 5.2, 5.3, and 5.5) Strategic Priority 6 – Infrastructure, Mobility & Connectivity (Goal 6.1) This item aligns with the following Cross-Cutting Threads:
Community Trust – The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report is being presented at a public hearing prior to submittal, where the community can provide comments. After submittal, the report will be made available to the public.
Equity – The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report demonstrates that the City has made progress towards several of objectives and policies meant to improve quality-of-life outcomes for all residents.
Fiscal Responsibility – The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report demonstrates a planned and coordinated use of public funds.
Innovation - The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report demonstrates creative approaches to implementing General Plan goals and actions.
Sustainability and Resiliency – The 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report demonstrates that the City has made progress towards several objectives and policies meant to build its capacity to support current and future generations of residents.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Prepared by: Paige Montojo, Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Jennifer Lilley, Community & Economic Development Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Mike Futrell, City Manager
Approved as to form: Jack Liu, Interim City Attorney
Attachments:
2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report
Presentation
Annual General Plan Progress Report for Calendar Year 2024 ● Page 2