We’re starting to collect lots of ideas of self help actions we can take to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood. Feel free to share yours.
Clean up fee assessed to UCR students or perhaps property owners for move out cleanup. Trash, debris, furniture on curbs…- Neighborhood program for dealing with UCR students issues. Realistically these are non-police issues (parties, noise, parking, etc) for which UCR may have leverage. We need to solve this ourselves rather than allowing the city to pace our solution.
- Reduce street width on Blaine between Watkins and Valencia Hill. Traffic calming, boulevard, etc… Maybe even convert to angled or 90 deg parking on one side only…the wall of cars that line every street in UNA and elsewhere in Riverside is horrible.
- School traffic at STEM and Highland is really inappropriate for the neighborhood. I imagine all the other schools in UNA have similar issues.
- Reseed Mt. Vernon Park with native plants. This will displace Russian Thistle. There must be some grant money someplace to do this!
- Watkins landscape along railroad between Spruce and Valencia Hill needs to be finished.
- We need to find a use for the field at Spruce and Watkins before we get a warehouse there.
- UCR backlot (corporate yard) fencing. Green construction fence installed on a permanent basis.
- Gage canal bikeway needs upkeep and improvements. Also should be extended through UCR and into the Canyon Crest area.
- Need a vision for the neighborhood. Something like the Springbrook Heritage Parklands citizen’s proposal. We need to get off defense.
- Need re-zoning and development added to the vision for UNA. To me this means allowances for small neighborhood markets like the Olive Ave Market in Redlands. It also means allowing for greater housing density that still fits with the neighborhood; things like granny flats where lot size permits or duplex conversions, inventive solutions. We need density WITH CONTROL to raise the value of UNA housing.
- Buy up vacant lots, get easements, or knock down “tear down” houses to convert to neighborhood vest pocket parks. This reserves the property for future good uses. Every block should have a small public space. Not a playground; there aren’t many children in UNA anymore…
- Our interface with Box Springs could use work. Likewise the C. Box Springs is a huge UNA resource; we are the gateway to that mountain. Why hide it?
- UNA should be able to capture new UCR faculty as neighbors much more effectively than any other area of town. Do we need a name: “University Park”? Like “the Wood Streets?” How do we make this happen? Amenities, markets, etc..???
A Neighborhood Of Our Dreams
