Grantee receiving certificate of recognition
The Mission Heritage Plaza project is using $16.8 million in Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program funds to help local partners build 71 new energy-efficient, affordable homes in downtown Riverside. The project will also plant over 200 new trees, provide two miles of new bike lanes, and create a multi-modal transit hub that links local and regional transit systems in one convenient location.
The Mission Heritage Plaza project is a partnership between the City of Riverside, the Riverside Transit Agency, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation, and the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County (FHCRC). In addition to providing affordable homes for low-income families and disabled homeless veterans, Mission Heritage Plaza will provide office space for the FHCRC. It will also house the region’s first Civil Rights Institute, ensuring that while the project looks toward the future, it also recognizes and celebrates the region’s past.
Riverside, one of California’s most populous cities, sits inside one of the fastest‑growing counties in the United States. Its rapid growth contributes to the city’s vibrancy, but also to a shortage of affordable housing. Additionally, downtown Riverside has some of the worst air quality in California – residents face an overall pollution burden ranking in the top five percent statewide.
This project’s urban greening, transportation, and transit improvements help address community priorities and represent progress toward realizing a transit-oriented downtown, all while providing affordable housing, improving air quality, and leading to fewer GHG Emissions.
Riverside Transit Agency Chair Bridgette Moore remarked: “This is an exciting, innovative project that combines smart development, affordable homes, and an attractive transportation option that will last for generations to come.”
These improvements will enable Mission Heritage Plaza residents – and those who live, work, and play in downtown Riverside – to drive less, helping to reducing GHG emissions and air pollution.