City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: AUGUST 11, 2026 FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARD: 1
DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: ADOPT ORDINANCE PLANNING CASE PC-2026-00128 – DEDESIGNATE TWO PARCELS LOCATED AT 4472 AND 4480 ORANGE ST, DESIGNATED AS STRUCTURES OF MERIT, AND MODIFY THE PROSPECT PLACE HISTORIC DISTRICT BOUNDARY TO REMOVE THE PARCELS FROM THE DISTRICT ISSUE:
Adopt an ordinance to rezone 4472 & 4480 Orange Street from the DSP-RES-SP-CR – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District and Cultural Resources Overlay Zones to the DSP-RES-SP – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council adopt an Ordinance amending the Zoning Map of the City of Riverside pursuant to Chapter 19.090 of the Riverside Municipal Code to rezone 4472 & 4480 Orange Street from the DSP-RES-SP-CR – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District and Cultural Resources Overlay Zones to the DSP-RES-SP – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District.
ORDINANCE INTRODUCTION:
On July 28, 2026, the City Council introduced an ordinance to rezone 4472 & 4480 Orange Street from the DSP-RES-SP-CR – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District and Cultural Resources Overlay Zones to the DSP-RES-SP – Downtown Specific Plan Residential District. The motion carried with Councilmembers Falcone, Cervantes, Robillard, Hernandez, and Mill voting aye, Councilmembers Conder and Hemenway absent.
CULTURAL HERITAGE BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On April 15, 2026, the Cultural Heritage Board (CHB) unanimously voted (5 ayes, 2 absent) to recommend that the City Council approve Planning Case PC-2026-00128 and dedesignate the parcels at 4472 and 4480 Orange Street and remove them from the Prospect Place Historic District (Attachments 4 and 5).
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A “Structure of Merit” is defined in Section 20.50.010 of Title 20 of the Riverside Municipal Code as:
Any improvement or natural feature which contributes to the broader understanding of the historical, archaeological, cultural, architectural, community, aesthetic, or artistic heritage of the City while retaining sufficient integrity; and Meets one or more of the following criteria:
Has a unique location, embodies a singular physical characteristic, or contains a view or vista representing an established and familiar visual feature within a neighborhood, community or area; Is an example of a type of building which was once common but is now rare in its neighborhood, community or area; Is connected with a business or use which was once common but is now rare; Has yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory; or Represents an improvement or Cultural Resource that no longer exhibits the high degree of integrity sufficient for landmark designation, yet still retains necessary integrity under one or more of the landmark criteria to convey cultural resource significance as a structure or resource of merit.
A “Contributor” is defined in Section 20.50.010 of Title 20 of the Riverside Municipal Code as a building structure within a Historic District or Neighborhood Conservation Area that provides appropriate historic context, historic architecture, historic association or historic value, or is capable of yielding important information about the period.
DISCUSSION:
On October 15, 2025, the Cultural Heritage Board approved a Certificate of Appropriateness request, Planning Case DP-2025-00269, by the Riverside County Office of Education to demolish the fire damaged structure at 4472 Orange Street.
As part of the Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of 4472 Orange Street, Condition of Approval #1 states:
Within one-year of approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness, the applicant shall submit an application to dedesignate the subject property and modify the Prospect Place Historic District Boundary by removing 4472 and 4480 Orange Street.
A residence at 4480 Orange Street was previously demolished as part of a project approved by City Council on January 27, 1987. A demolition permit for the building at 4472 Orange Street was issued on March 12, 2026, and the building was subsequently demolished.
As there are no original structures on the parcels, it has been determined that they no longer meet the criteria for Structures of Merit listing. Additionally, the parcels no longer contribute to the historic significance of the Prospect Place Historic District, as defined by Title 20. As the parcels are on the edge of the district, their removal will have no impact to the significance or integrity of the district.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact resulting from the dedesignation.
Prepared by: Scott Watson, Historic Preservation Officer Reviewed by: Miranda Evans, Community & Economic Development Director Attachment: Ordinance
PC-2026-00128 (HD) – 4472 & 4480 Orange St ● Page 3