City of Riverside to Negotiate with Developer on Proposed Riverside Adventure Center and Mixed-Use Town Center Development in Northside Neighborhood
Published: 2/26/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 26, 2025
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
City of Riverside to Negotiate with Developer on Proposed Riverside Adventure Center and Mixed-Use Town Center Development in Northside Neighborhood
Project is designed to fulfill goals expressed by community during creation of Northside Specific Plan
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday (2/25) to negotiate exclusively with a group that has proposed to transform a portion of the Northside neighborhood with a recreational adventure park, a hotel and conference center, new housing, a grocery store and restaurants.
Adrenaline Sports Resorts (ASR) Collaborative has at least six months to work with the City to acquire 126 acres of City property north of Highway 60 to create the Riverside Adventure Center, as well as a mixed-use development consisting of housing, a grocery store, commercial and retail properties, and other amenities.
The group’s proposal was chosen as an excellent opportunity to build upon the goals of the Northside Specific Plan, a 2020 City document that was approved by the City Council after years of community input and outreach. The six-month negotiating period, with options to extend, is designed to generate a binding agreement on price and terms for sale, as well as performance measures and key milestones.
“This project has the potential to transform the Northside, honoring the wishes of the neighborhood while expanding our recreational opportunities for all residents of Riverside,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “The combination of a lushly developed and free park with discounted fee-based adventure sports offers a new level of parks amenities in Riverside.”
Adrenaline Sports Resorts Collaborative has committed to pay fair market value for the property and requires no financial contributions from the City for the park construction. The team has brought together an operational team with extensive experience delivering public and private developments and designing programming for the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., Riversport in Oklahoma City, and Montgomery Whitewater in Alabama.
The Adrenaline Sports Resorts Collaborative is led by Adrenaline Sports Resorts (ASR) in partnership with Riverside-based Overland Development Company. They propose to spend $200 million to build:
- An 85-acre Riverside Adventure Center, with a heavily landscaped public park that connects to the existing Reid Park, biking, hiking, trails, climbing, play areas, and open space, all for free. For a fee, visitors could visit world-class aquatic recreation facilities, including a whitewater rafting course; a wave lagoon with a surf park and boathouse; zip-line and rope courses; sport climbing walls; and an amphitheater. Riverside residents would get discounts.
- A Northside Village Center with a 45,000-square-foot grocery store, restaurants and retail shops on 41 acres to the south of the project.
- A four-story, 150-room, 91,500-square-foot Adventure Center Hotel and Conference Center
- 722 units of housing with 25 percent reserved as affordable housing.
“This transformative project will not only deliver much-needed amenities to the Northside, fulfilling a long-standing community desire, but will also introduce unprecedented recreational opportunities that will redefine what’s possible for Riverside, unlocking a new era of growth and vitality for our residents,” Mayor Pro Tem Sean Mill said.
The project would create an estimated 2,800 jobs. The 126-acre project site is home to the former Riverside Golf Course, but it has been closed for years.
The Riverside Adventure Center also would serve as a sports training facility for competitive sports in the youth, collegiate, national and international levels. The Riverside Fire Department and other Urban Search and Rescue groups could use it as a local training facility instead of driving to Blythe.
Adrenaline Sports Resorts Collaborative intends to design the Riverside Adventure Center to Olympic standards so it can apply as a potential host to several LA28 Olympic Game competitions. These Olympic sports include whitewater canoe/kayaking, climbing, skateboarding, BMX cycling, surfing and biathlon.
These venues would be designed in collaboration with the respective International and National Sport Governing Bodies to make them eligible for World Cups, World Championships, X-Games, training camps and events leading up to LA28. The success of the overall project would not be dependent on securing the LA28 Olympic Games.
“ASR Collaborative is thrilled to be working with the City on this historic effort to reinvigorate and celebrate Riverside’s Northside neighborhood,” an ASR spokesperson said. “Our work with the City will establish a vibrant mixed-use community anchored by an Adventure Center that provides recreational opportunities from nature hikes to world class whitewater and surf for the more adventurous. This effort will activate the Springbrook Arroyo and serve as a hub for community activities, cultural celebrations and economic growth. Through this project, ASR Collaborative will not only be bringing the river back to Riverside but will create a grand new amenity for the City and its residents.”
More information can be found at: www.NorthsidePlan.com
Overview of the NSP and Project Proposal:
