Officials from several municipal departments next month will host a public forum to share details and solicit input on a proposed master planned community near the 60/91/215 interchange in Riverside that would feature athletic fields, park-centered housing, trails and other amenities.
The community meeting on the Riverside Sports & Entertainment Complex is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Springbrook Clubhouse, 1011 Orange St. All residents are invited to participate.
“This meeting will provide ample opportunity for community members to better understand the proposal, ask questions and engage with the city and the developers,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said.
The forum follows the Riverside City Council’s unanimous approval in August of an “exclusive negotiating agreement” with GCS Development of Riverside, part of a Delaware-based limited liability company, which will be tasked with overseeing rehabilitation of an abandoned property to create the future “Riverside Sports Complex & Entertainment District.”
Dawson said the impetus behind the project is to “create a dynamic destination that will energize our local economy and make Riverside the premiere hub for sports and entertainment.”
Funding allocations for the development have yet to be settled and will be part of ongoing council considerations as the project moves from conceptual stage to construction, officials said.
There was no estimate on how much time that may take.
GCS Development intends to center the Entertainment District at the site of the former AB Brown Sports Complex, in the Northside borough, near the intersection of Main Street and Garner Road, north of the 60/91/215 interchange.
The grounds fell into disuse after 2018 but previously included an 18-field soccer facility utilized by the American Youth Soccer Organization.
As currently proposed, the Riverside Sports Complex & Entertainment District would feature 1,100 residential units, 193,000 square feet of retail space, six soccer fields ringing a “central park,” a 108-room hotel overlooking a 5,000-seat stadium for rugby, football and lacrosse. There would additionally be a venue for indoor and outdoor festivals, as well as walking and jogging trails, along with bike paths.
It would be separate but complementary to the Riverside Adventure Center, which is currently in the planning stage, officials said.
“The promise of pairing the Entertainment District with the Riverside Adventure Center represents a generational opportunity in the Northside area and the city,” Councilman Chuck Conder said.