Tensions were high Tuesday amid continued community pressure on the Riverside City Council to reconsider its decision to reject $20 million in state funds for an affordable housing project on University Avenue.
More than a dozen residents spoke at the February 3 meeting to urge the council to take another look at its January 13 decision that effectively killed a plan to convert 114 hotel rooms at the Quality Inn into studio apartments for both low-income residents and people transitioning out of homelessness.
“I wish that I could come up with the perfect words that would help one of you, who said no to this project, sincerely consider reconsideration of this project,” Luis Hernandez, who is running for the Ward 6 council seat, said. “The only thing I can think of is the 114 lives that you will change by giving them the opportunity to get off the street.”
At the meeting, Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, a staunch supporter of the project, informed the public that the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU) was “investigating” the council’s vote.
In a letter to the city, obtained by The Riverside Record, the ACLU said the council’s choice could impact its ability to meet its legal commitments and affordable housing goals. The letter then pointed to the city’s Housing Element, which is the foundation of the city’s housing strategy and establishes the city’s goals, objectives and policies.
“We strongly encourage the city to reconsider its vote, paying particular attention to how the city will meet its legal obligations under its Housing Elements and other fair housing laws without the approval of this project,” the civil rights group wrote in the letter dated February 2.
The council has until February 10 to request that the item be reconsidered, however that request has to be made by one of the four dissenting council members: Philip Falcone, Chuck Conder, Sean Mill or Steven Robillard. None made the motion to reconsider the item at the February 3 meeting.
Days before Tuesday’s meeting, the owners of the Farm House Collective, through their daughter, expressed interest in leasing the University Avenue hotel, according to an email exchange shared with several news outlets, including The Record.
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“This is a good plan if you want to get the seller to lose focus on what we’re trying to do, which is get this other deal to go through,” the hotel owner’s real estate agent Joe La Croix told The Record, referring to supporters’ last ditch attempts to convince the council to reconsider the vote.
In that email exchange, Angela Digangi wrote that the family did not want the hotel to go to a “bad or worse operator,” and instead envisioned the property becoming a “nice boutique hotel.”
“We have been against the Quality Inn conversion into the [Riverside Housing Development Corporation] (RHDC) housing project due to its location in vicinity to the student population,” she added. “[We] have plans to work in the future with the city and the county to find additional sites that may be good opportunities for this type of housing project.”
In response, La Croix wrote that the owner instead would prefer to lease to a different operator. La Croix told The Record that the owner already has a lessee lined up, pending council action. He said the owner preferred to sell the property, but had been unsuccessful in lining up a buyer for the last three years.
La Croix also accused the Bailey family of interfering with the council’s vote, which he claimed impeded the hotel owner from completing the transaction with RHDC.
Daniel Rasmussen, a lawyer representing the Bailey family, emailed La Croix Monday informing him that the family had decided to withdraw their interest in the property. He also rejected the claim that the family had interfered with any transaction involving the Quality Inn.
“Our clients’ involvement has been limited to advocating for responsible, well-planned solutions to homelessness that balance public safety, neighborhood stability and long-term economic vitality,” Rasmussen said in his email. “Their efforts were never intended to impede the city, RHDC, or the seller, nor to secure a personal or financial benefit.”
The Record reached out to Beverly Bailey, Digangi and Rasmussen for comment but did not receive a response.
Cervantes said she was surprised the Bailey family had inquired to lease the property while efforts to salvage the RHDC proposal were ongoing.
“Even if they were to come in, we’re not addressing and solving the affordability component,” Cervantes said. “ If anything, it was only going to potentially make it worse than it is today.”
She said she understood the Quality Inn owner’s decision to find someone to lease the property, adding that she was grateful he chose to work with the city to try to bring the affordable housing project into the community.
Cervantes said she was still hopeful that one of her colleagues makes a motion to reconsider the item by February 10.
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There were 2 hours of testimony and 35 + people on favor of the project and only one against. Several testified how problematic the Quality Inn is. Case Managers described in detail how they work with the chronically homeless to turn their lives around and why the Housing First philosophy is both essential and effective. The steadfastness of the 4 City Council members shows a disregard for the facts, the will of the people of Riverside, and a belief in the superiority of their opinion over housing experts, case managers, city staff, the reputable developer RHDC and the City Councilwoman whose Ward then project is in.
The decision is about money and power over people and sprecial interests prevailing over the public good.