The Riverside City Council approved a 56-lot single-family residential development by Meritage Homes at the southwest corner of La Sierra and Alhambra avenues on Tuesday, clearing the way for construction after city staff revised traffic-safety conditions tied to a new median break at the building’s driveway.
The 6-0 vote with Ward 2 Councilwoman Clarissa Cervantes absent followed a referral by Councilman Steven Hemenway, who said he asked the council to review the Planning Commission’s earlier approval so the conditions governing a median opening and a new crosswalk could be made precise.
“I asked that to be referred to the City Council just so that we could get very focused on what those conditions would look like and to make sure that it was the safest possible space if we are going to have to make a median break,” Hemenway said.
The 9.88-acre site, split between rural residential and single-family residential zoning, would be subdivided into 56 lots ranging from 3,555 to 20,064 square feet, with an overall density of 5.7 dwelling units per acre. Senior Planner Judy Egüez described the project as consistent with the general plan and zoning code and noted it includes three residences for very low-income households under the state density bonus.
The central traffic question was a median break on La Sierra Avenue at the development’s main entrance. City Traffic Engineer Philip Nitollama explained that the Planning Commission had conditioned approval on opening the median, and that staff worked with the applicant’s traffic consultant to design a left-turn lane with a 50-foot minimum storage length and a 123-foot deceleration lane.
Staff recommended a revision that requires a dedicated northbound left-turn lane and adding high-visibility crosswalk with three double-sided solar-powered rectangular rapid flashing beacons at the south leg of the Alhambra and La Sierra intersection. The crosswalk improvements are intended to serve pedestrian access to Loma Vista Middle School and existing bus stops.
Hemenway said the referral accomplished its goal of tightening the safety requirements.
“It looks like city staff did a phenomenal job with that and worked with the developer to come up with the plan. So, I think we’ve accomplished that goal,” he said.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.
