Tag Archives: Discovering Neighborhood Treasures

City Of Our Dreams, Living Among Giants, Social Capital

Neighborhood Project Brainstorming Update

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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.

Brain Strom Sticky Notes

  1. To Do Clean up fee assessed to UCR students or perhaps property owners for move out cleanup. Trash, debris, furniture on curbs…
  2. To Do 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.
  3. To Do 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.
  4. To Do School traffic at STEM and Highland is really inappropriate for the neighborhood. I imagine all the other schools in UNA have similar issues.
  5. To Do Reseed Mt. Vernon Park with native plants.  This will displace Russian Thistle.  There must be some grant money someplace to do this!
  6. To Do Watkins landscape along railroad between Spruce and Valencia Hill needs to be finished.
  7. To Do We need to find a use for the field at Spruce and Watkins before we get a warehouse there.
  8. To Do UCR backlot (corporate yard) fencing.  Green construction fence installed on a permanent basis. 
  9. To Do Gage canal bikeway needs upkeep and improvements.  Also should be extended through UCR and into the Canyon Crest area.
  10. To Do Need a vision for the neighborhood.  Something like the Springbrook Heritage Parklands citizen’s proposal. We need to get off defense.
  11. To Do 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.
  12. To Do 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…
  13. To Do 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?
  14. To Do 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..???
Open Government, Social Capital

June 2015 Meeting Agenda

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Map and Directions To Crest Community Church

1. Introductions

2. Perris Valley Metrolink Update –                                                                     15.min. 

There is a quiet zone scheduled in the University Neighborhood along the Perris Valley Line which will affect the crossings at Marlborough, Spruce, Blaine, and Mt. Vernon.  The work required for this quiet zone will not begin until sometime next year, when the Perris Valley Line is complete.  The City of Riverside will be the lead agency on the project, therefore, I will be sending out updates once the project begins.

3.  UCR Update – Jeff Kraus                                                                                15 min.

4.  UNET Report  – Celeste Neiman                                                                   15 min 

 5. Blaine Street Speed Limit                                                                              15 min.

Blaine Street is classified as an arterial roadway and requires a Traffic and Engineering Survey to establish the speed limit.  Attached is copy of the existing speed survey on file for Blaine between Mt. Vernon and the 60 Freeway which shows that the recommended 40 MPH speed limit was reduced from the 45 MPH 85th% speed results from this survey .  Note that the survey was taken in August of 2008 and will expire this year, thus we will be resurveying the street sometime this month.   Neither the roadway geometrics or circulation element has changed in the area and Public Works doesn’t foresee a change to the speed limit with the new survey.   Nonetheless, we will be happy to keep you informed of the results of the upcoming survey.

The speed feedback sign now on Watkins Drive was recently relocated from Canyon Crest Drive due to traffic signal installations along Canyon Crest Drive.  These devices are typically used to enhance driver awareness of their speed on streets with demonstrated speeding problems and because they are costly they are often utilized after other alternatives have been unsuccessful in addressing a speeding issue and budget allows for the purchase and installation costs.

The vast majority of the speed feedback signs in place throughout the City were grant funded and were required to be placed on non-federally funded streets.    We can certainly start with requesting enforcement which is an initial tool if you can please let us know the peak time frames that you are noticing speeding and the specific area along Blaine.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.  We will await your response regarding the speeding before we request enforcement.

Sincerely, Dawna Fuller Engineering Technician Traffic Engineering Division Public Works Department City of Riverside  (951) 826-5907 dfuller@riversideca.gov

Blaine Between Mt. Vernon & Fwy 60 8-7-08

Announcements:

6. Watkins Drive Clean Up – Sat. June 20th, 8 a.m.

Meet At Piccacho and Watkins Dr. 

Wear sturdy shoes, bring water bottles.

7. Ag Park  City Council June 23rd                                                                       

8. Call For Drought Tolerant Plants for Mt. Vernon & Big Springs Median Makeovers

Contact Gurumantra gkhalsa@NutritionNews.com or 951-640-3868

9. National Night Out  – Tuesday August 4th, Islander Park Pool

Potluck – Pool Party.  Discovering Neighborhood Treasures