Agenda Item: eComments for 3. PLANNING CASE PR-2024-001701 (GPA, SPA, RZ, DR) - Proposal by Maria Iwanicki of HKS, Inc., to consider the following entitlements to facilitate the construction of 4-story, Parking Garage containing 593 parking spaces to serve the Riverside Community Hospital: (1) A General Plan Amendment to change the General Plan Land Use designation from DSP - Downtown Specific Plan to RCHSP - Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan; (2) A Specific Plan Amendment to amend the Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan to incorporate two parcels (APN #: 217-060-020 and 217-060-009) into the Specific Plan boundaries and to remove them from the Downtown Specific Plan Specific Plan boundaries; (3) A Zoning Code Amendment to rezone the property from DSP-AD Downtown Specific Plan - Almond Street District to RCHSP - Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan Overlay Zone; and (4) Design Review of project plans. The
1.66-acre project site consists of 6 parcels developed with medical office buildings and a vehicle repair facility, located at 4410, 4414, 4420, 4426, 4440, 4468 Brockton Avenue, situated on the southeast corner of Brockton Avenue and 14th Street, in the Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan and in the Downtown Specific Plan-Almond Street District, in Ward 1. The Community & Economic Development Department recommends that the Planning Commission determine the project information provided in the Addendum will not result in significant effects on the environment, and is therefore consistent with the adopted Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program prepared for Planning Cases P13-0207, P13-0208, P13-0209, P13- 0210, and P13-0211 Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan Expansion Project Final Environmental Impact Report ("Certified FEIR") (State Clearing-house No. 2013071102). Contact Planner: Judy Egüez, Senior Planner, 951-826 3969, [email protected]
Overall Sentiment
Larry Burns
Location: 92506, Riverside
Submitted At: 9:20am 04-08-25
Please use your role in these matters to bring these parties together so we can continue to enjoy the programming from Riverside Community Players. They are not just an inconvenient roadblock for RCH's market share and profit margins; RCP is a vital community resource. We would no sooner block off a watering hole for wildlife than close access to the performing arts when we don't have to.
Linda Reimann
Location: 92506, Riverside
Submitted At: 9:58pm 04-06-25
Hello, I am a supporter of Riverside Community Players (RCP) and I am writing regarding the April 10 Planning Commission meeting - this concerns agenda item #3 on plans for a 4 story parking garage along Brockton Ave to serve RCH. It is imperative that the city not allow the hospital's construction to move forward until they have communicated a plan to the theater as to how parking will be provided during construction. This plan should be reviewed and approved by the committee which was set up by the original contract between RCH and RCP .
Otherwise, moving forward with approving the construction would be inconsistent with the original contract.
Please provide support to the Riverside Community Players - at 100 years old it is one of the oldest community theaters in the nation, and is emblematic of Riverside's aspiration to be known as the City of Arts and Innovation.
Thank you, Linda Reimann
NANCY HAVER
Location: 92508, Riverside
Submitted At: 8:47pm 04-06-25
Hello I am a supporter of Riverside Community Players and I'm calling because I'm concerned about the Planning Commission meeting on April 10th. The agenda item is #3 Planning Case for the 4 story parking garage along Brockton Avenue to serve Riverside Community Hospital.
The hospital has a contract to provide parking for the Riverside Community Players and, to date, they have not communicated a plan to the theater as to how and where they will be providing that parking during construction.
I am requesting that the city not allow the hospital's construction to move forward until a plan is submitted and approved by the committee which was set up by the original contract between the hospital and RCP . This committee should include 2 members from the hospital, 2 members from the players, and a representative from the Mayor's Office. Currently, there are no meetings planned.
Riverside Community Players is an important cultural gem that has been providing quality theater in the city of Riverside for 100 years. Please, let's live up to our reputation as "The City of Arts and Innovation" by supporting one of the oldest community theaters in the nation.
John Allen
Location: 92570, Lake Mathews
Submitted At: 2:47pm 04-05-25
Hello I am a supporter of Riverside Community Players and I'm writing because I'm concerned about the Planning Commission meeting on April 10th. The agenda item is #3 Planning Case for the 4 story parking garage along Brockton Avenue to serve Riverside Community Hospital.
The hospital has a contract to provide parking for the Riverside Community Players and, to date, they have not communicated a plan to the theater as to how and where they will be providing that parking during construction.
I am requesting that the city not allow the hospital's construction to move forward until a plan is submitted and approved by the committee which was set up by the original contract between the hospital and RCP . This committee should include 2 members from the hospital, 2 members from the players, and a representative from the Mayor's Office. Currently, there are no meetings planned.
Riverside Community Players is an important cultural gem that has been providing quality theater in the city of Riverside for 100 years. Please, let's live up to our reputation as "The City of Arts and Innovation" by supporting one of the oldest community theaters in the nation. Thank you. -John E. Allen
GURUMANTRA KHALSA
Location: 92507, Riverside
Submitted At: 2:54pm 04-01-25
PR-2024-001722
Crest Community Church Supportive Housing Project
I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Crest Community Church and their proposal to create housing for two of our most vulnerable populations, single mothers with children and youth leaving the foster care system.
There has been much talk and great expense studying the growing population of folks without shelter in Riverside and in cities throughout our nation. We finally have a project designed to make an impact on this shameless condition.
While modest in scope, the project provides a huge leap forward and in solving one of the vital conditions for health and well-being necessary for thriving communities. Vital conditions are the properties of places and institutions that we all need all the time to reach our full potential.
Crest Church has done a thorough job of keeping the community informed from the beginning. It has also been exceedingly generous in offering the University Neighborhood Association a place to hold our monthly meetings.
Partnering with Olive Crest, learning from Grove Community Church’s housing project experiences, and demonstrating a well-considered plan for building civic muscle and a sense of belonging, make this proposal a case study for shared stewardship. I urge your approval of this project. The University Neighborhood will be proud to celebrate this vision finally coming to life.
Gurumantra Khalsa
Co-Chair, University Neighborhood Assn.
Cheryl Hansberger
Location: 92506
Submitted At: 11:54am 03-31-25
I am writing to support the Crest Cottages project. My husband (Mike) and I are on the leadership team at Crest Community Church and have been involved in the scoping of this project since the very beginning. This project is modelled after the successful work at the Grove Community Church and The Grove is supporting our efforts by sharing their lessons learned and structure (among other things). As you know, The Grove Village has been wildly successful and has had minimal (if any) impact on the surrounding community. Crest's leadership team, in recognition that we are a smaller church, partnered with Olive Crest to manage our proposed development, as we recognize that Olive Crest's expertise far exceeds ours. With that said, the member of Crest Community Church are highly educated and skilled and we fully intend to support the residents of these units. Simply stated, we believe that most of our modern challenges are the result of a breakdown in community. We have seen the restorative work that has been done at The Grove Village, and we are committed to providing strong support to the former foster youth and families that will reside in this beautiful community. Collectively, Crest has strong expertise in public health, mental health, community building, public outreach, medical services, grant writing, conflict resolution, volunteer engagement, change management and much more. Crest's members care deeply about the neighborhood we are embedded in and we actively serve members of this neighborhood. Not surprisingly, many members of our church live in the University Neighborhood. Crest Community Church also hosts our local neighborhood group meetings, and we have involved our neighborhood group in the shaping of this project since its conception. This is a low-risk, model development, which I believe is now a by-right project by state law. Despite this, we have worked to ensure this project accounts for concerns from local residents, conforms to (or exceeds) development standards and meets a growing need in our community (housing for transitional foster youth). We look forward to celebrating the opening and successes of this model project with the Planning Commission. Thank you for your service, we understand service on The Planning Commission is a hard job and that your service comes at the expense of other important parts of our life. Bless you all.
3985 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501 • Phone: (951) 683-7100 • Fax: (951) 683-2670 www.riverside-chamber.com
April 3, 2025
Chair Lorraine Mooney
City of Riverside Planning Commission
3900 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92501
RE: April 10, 2025, Meeting – Item 3: Planning Case PR-2024-001701 (GPA, SPA, RZ, DR) – Riverside Community Hospital Parking Structure – SUPPORT
Dear Chair Mooney and Members of the Planning Commission,
On behalf of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, representing over 1,100 member organizations and representing more than 110,000 jobs across inland Southern California, I am writing to express our SUPPORT for Planning Case PR-2024-001701 (GPA, SPA, RZ, DR) – Riverside Community Hospital Parking Structure.
The Chamber’s Downtown Business Council has me t on repea ted occasions with representatives from Riverside Community Hospital and received briefings on their plans to expand their footprint and services for Riverside and neighboring residents.
As you know, Riverside and the Inland Sout hern Californi a region are already significantly unders erved in the healthcare fields for our popu lation and as more residents call our community home , the pressures only increase to meet their medical needs. Coupled with that are the increasing demands for expanded infrastructure , including roads and parking, to access these healthcare facilities.
Riverside Community Hospital is embarking on a significant expansion of their footprint at their Riverside campus , which will lead to more facilities and personnel that will serve and improve the health outcomes of our community. An important early step is the development of a parking structure that will enhance their ability to serve and park their current staff, patients, and families while also preparing for the future in which demand and supply will both grow.
The entitlement of the parcels at the cor ner of Broc kton Avenue and 14 th Street will expand and consolidate the Riverside Community Hospital Specific Plan to create a more cohesive and integrated use of that block as a medical campus. Furthermore, it will resolve lingering access issues for the disparate businesses currently/formerly operating on these parcels, which will improve the flow of traffic in this area.
As the staff report indicates, these amendments to the current zoning and land use requirements are consistent with the goals, policies, and objectives of the General Plan, as it will allow for the expansion of the Riverside Community Hospital.
We respectfully ask for your support for this project, creating new pathways for a thriving community in Riverside.
Thank you for your consideration. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 951 -683- 7100.
Respectfully,
Nicholas Adcock
President/CEO
NA/lw
April 4, 2025
Lorraine Mooney, Chair
City of Riverside Planning Commission
3900 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92522
RE: April 10, 2025 Planning Commission Meeting – Agenda Item 3 Planning Case PR-2024-001701 Riverside Community Hospital Parking Structure
Dear Chair Mooney and Members of the Planning Commission,
The Riverside Downtown Partnership (RDP) is a non- profit business association managing the downtown business improvement district in Riverside. Our mission is to foster a vibrant, safe, and successful business and cultural community in downtown Riverside by celebrating our past and defining our future. To accomplish this, we act as an advocate on behalf of downtown and its stakeholders, and we work with partners on issues and initiatives that are critical to downtown growth and development.
The C EO and senior management of Riverside Community Hospital have made two formal presentations to the RDP Board and membership, as well as met with our Executive Committee to outline their plans to expand their campus and to enhance the health services the y provide to not only the City of Riverside but beyond. Riverside Community Hospital is a recognized national leader in the healthc are industry and their commitment to expansion will greatly enhance the services they provide to our residents.
RDP supports t he expansion plans of Riverside Community Hospital as vit al to Riverside’s growth, particularly in the healthcare field. Our growing population and aging residents will increase the area’ s medical needs. RDP encourages the Planning Commission to support the s taff recomm endations to approve the entitlement of the parcels at the corner of Brockton Avenue and 14
th Street as the construction of a new
parking structure is a critical first step in the hospital’s expansion.
We are available to provide additional information regarding our support.
Sincerely,
Janice Penner
Executive Director
University Ave., Ste. 100 Riverside, California 92501 Phone: (951) 781-7335 FAX: (951) 781-6951 Email: [email protected] www.riversidedowntown.org