RIVER STREET

The Ito Nursery land is private property that has been owned by the Ito Family for over 50 years. They have had many offers to buy their property over the years and looked at many options, including an office park and a housing development. However, they wanted something that would fit with the spirit of Los Rios and leave a lasting family legacy. The River Street Marketplace really spoke to them as being a good fit for the area, specifically the project’s addition of new specimen trees, including an olive grove and various fruit trees.

No. There will be five appropriately scaled buildings that reflect the Los Rios heritage and rustic environment with a central green area, planted with native landscaping and specimen trees.

There will be several stores including clothing and jewelry stores, a flower stand and western wear boutique. The jewel of the Marketplace will be a farm-to-table market with a butcher, fishmonger and bakery, as well as a variety of to-go food and drink options.

There will be plenty of parking on the River Street Marketplace property, including over 280 stalls on a parking lot composed of organic materials – no ugly asphalt. Having additional parking will help alleviate traffic congestion on Del Obispo by giving visitors and residents a convenient option to park their cars and walk downtown, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

Road improvements to Paseo Adelanto and Del Obispo – potentially including modifications to existing street signage, the signals along Del Obispo and the addition of a roundabout on Paseo Adelanto – which would prevent non-residential traffic from entering the Los Rios neighborhood and will help the overall flow of traffic, keeping traffic to a minimum

The City Council voted 4 – 1 in October of 2016 to initiate a study of River Street Marketplace. Since this council meeting the project has received feedback from multiple City Commissions including the Design Review Commission and the Cultural Heritage Commission. These workshops provided an opportunity to gain valuable feedback from the community.

In 1978, the City realized how unique and historically-rich the Los Rios District is and approved a Specific Plan to preserve the historic structures (the original adobes) within the district. In 1997 that Specific Plan, with comments from the public, was updated and approved again. It was focused on preserving the historic buildings.

The proposed project will be comprised of five buildings that are not within the Los Rios Historic District. The buildings are within the Los Rios Specific Plan area, and are only near the Los Rios Historic District. The Ito Family purchased the property in 1959 and opened the nursery in 1970. The Ito Nursery building itself is also not considered a historic structure. The Ito Nursery is not on the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation of the Ito Property’s use as a nursery was meant as a placeholder, according to Los Rios Specific Plan committee members. It was the use at the time, and the intention was to keep the designation open for consideration in the future.

In addition to providing multiple amenities to our community, the River Street Marketplace will boost the economy and raise surrounding property values. The income from the project’s sales and property taxes, in addition to development fees, will go toward helping our City fix its streets and roads, preserving our youth and senior programs, maintaining our parks, and providing additional law enforcement.

Yes! The entire cactus will be preserved in its current location.