The planned sports and entertainment complex in Riverside’s Northside neighborhood. | Rendering courtesy of the city of Riverside
Riverside is moving forward with a $21.5 million library and a multibillion-dollar sports and entertainment complex.
Earlier this month the City Council OK’d an exclusive negotiating agreement with Riverside-based GCS Development to convert 56 city-owned Northside acres into the Riverside Sports Complex and Entertainment District.
Officials called the planned complex a “groundbreaking destination set to redefine community recreation and economic growth in the region.”
Phase 1 of the GCS plan calls for a professional-level multi-use stadium, six soccer fields and an indoor sports and game complex. Another phase is for housing, retail and community spaces including a central park with “family-friendly amenities,” pedestrian trails, bike paths, playgrounds and a dog park, according to the city.
“This project provides recreational opportunities that Riverside and our greater region have never had,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “It will create a dynamic destination that will energize our local economy and make Riverside the premiere hub for sports and entertainment.”
The site formerly housed the Ab Brown Sports Complex, 3700 Placentia Lane, an 18-field soccer facility that was home to the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 47 from 1985 to 2018. Vacant since 2018, the site is now poised for a comeback, which officials said will create economic opportunity while “breathing new life into the community.”
The sports-entertainment complex will complement the Riverside Adventure Center, which received council approval in February, officials said. The planned center includes a public park, a recreational adventure facility and a mixed-use commercial complex with housing, a grocery store, hotel, conference center, and restaurants.
“The promise of pairing the Sports Complex and Entertainment District with the Riverside Adventure Center represents a generational opportunity in the Northside area and the entire city,” Ward 7 Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Conder said in a statement. “We are honoring our rich sports history while launching Riverside into the future.”
According to the city, “Riverside’s Sports Complex and Entertainment District, a multi-billion-dollar vision, is the future of multi-sport entertainment, urban living and e-sports, positioning Riverside to become the Inland Empire’s ultimate sports and entertainment destination.”
Officials noted these elements of the project:
- A 5,005-seat stadium, expandable to 15,000 seats, for soccer, rugby, football and lacrosse;
- A 108-room stadium hotel;
- Riverside Live, an indoor-and-outdoor venue for festivals and concerts to attract visitors year-round;
- A 130,000-square-foot sports complex for pickleball, padel and other court games;
- Six soccer fields, including two full-size multisport fields and four youth-sized soccer fields;
- 1,100 residential units, including 25% affordably priced units;
- 193,000 square feet of retail space for shops and restaurants;
- A central park and dedicated dog park; and
- 3,498 parking spaces, along with an estimated 100 EV charging stations.
The one-year agreement has an option for a six-month extension.
“If the City and GCS Development reach agreement on terms, those would be included in a disposition and development agreement that would be voted on by the City Council,” officials said.
More information on Northisde development projects is at NorthsidePlan.com.
Groundbreaking for SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library
A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the $21.5 million SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library is set for 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 6 at Bobby Bonds Park, 2060 University Ave.
The new library, scheduled to open by summer 2027, is designed to be a state-of-the-art facility with “expanded access to educational resources, technology, community programming and cultural enrichment opportunities,” according to a city statement.
“This library will provide an unprecedented level of library services to the Eastside community,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “It will be a fitting tribute to a man known for his community service and sacrifice for our country.”
In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, the event will feature activity booths, community resources and remarks by the mayor and council members.
The library is named after a decorated Vietnam War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient and community advocate. Duran died in Riverside in 1977 and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2014.
“Riverside has a long history as a proud military town with three Medal of Honor recipients,” Conder said in a statement. “This library will keep SPC Duran’s memory alive in our community, much like at the SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library and the Ysmael Villegas Park and Community Center.”
The library’s location is planned for the park’s east side along Douglas Avenue, south of the parking lot at the intersection of Douglas and University, and north of the soccer fields.
The new library will replace a former storefront library that was in a shopping center at University and Chicago avenues.
More information is available on the city’s website.