RivCo City To Build Downtown 40 Years In The Making

MORENO VALLEY, CA — Riverside County's second-largest city is finally being given the green light to build a city center after four decades of planning.

Moreno Valley is set to transform a nearly 70-acre empty lot between Cottonwood Avenue and Alessandro Boulevard into a downtown district after the City Council unanimously approved the project on Tuesday.

“It is in the heart of the city,” Councilmember Erlan Gonzalez said at Tuesday's Moreno Valley City Council meeting. “It’s going to be something that a lot of neighbors, residents have been clamoring for … it’s something we need: the shopping, the night life … “

The city bought the dusty lot in 1985, but it has sat empty. In 2020, the project was approved and projected to be wrapped by 2025 until the pandemic halted that plan, The Press-Enterprise reported.

While a timeline has not been announced for the completion of the city center, officials hope to progress the project as soon as possible.

Residents say the town center has been a long time coming and they're ready for it.

"We could use some restaurants closer here to us, and some shopping, but I don't drive much," Long-time resident Evelyn Spencer said at the city council meeting, according to ABC7. "So, it would be nice for me. I could just walk across the street."

The city has partnered with Lewis Acquisition Company to get the project done, which will include 800 residential units, 100 affordable homes, a 106-room hotel, a 16-acre commercial zone with restaurants and shopping and five acres of public park space, according to the city.

The community has been expanding in population for quite some time, with a 4 percent annual growth rate, according to the city of Moreno Valley. It is currently the 21st largest city in California, with a population of at least 217,197.

"Wow! Bring it on, we need this project. I am all for it. I supported it," resident Louise Palomares told ABC7. "It is going to bring a lot of revenue to the city, tax dollars."

Often, residents are forced to hop on the freeways to a different city to go to events or take their families out.