The Arlanza Family Resource Center
The Arlanza Family and Neighborhood Resource Center represents a unique multi-disciplinary collaboration of various agencies include the Riverside County Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Social Services, the Alvord and Riverside Unified School Districts, various community-based organizations and neighborhood residents. Focusing on children ages 0 to 5 and their families, The Arlanza Family Resource Center is an integral aspect of Riverside’s youth crime prevention plan. This exciting, collaborative approach to community development is quickly becoming the blueprint for leveraging Riverside’s community resources.

Centrally located in the Arlanza Neighborhood, the Center provides local residents with a variety of social services - programs, workshops, education classes, English classes, health care, parenting skills workshops, violence prevention workshops, legal aid and many other services as deemed necessary by the local residents. In addition to these core services and programs, the Resource Center provides training to Arlanza residents on how to identify and use the talents and gifts of local people in finding solutions to issues that affect their community. In this case, the Center represents a bridge of empowerment between public agencies and local residents. The Arlanza Family Resource Center is truly a vision of - and for - the residents in the community. For more information on the Arlanza Neighborhood Initiative and Family Resource Center, please visit our website: http://www.riversideca.gov/neighborhoods/arlanza.

Innovations in Neighborhood Development
To make its neighborhoods safer and more peaceful places for families, Riverside's Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is working to control the impact of outside traffic influences on residential streets. The program's traffic-calming measures include speed control, pedestrian safety, traffic signs, vehicle weight limit restrictions, parking restrictions, sight restrictions, pavement markings and traffic pattern modifications.

The city's commitment to making neighborhoods even stronger includes improving neighborhood libraries. The city recently improved three city libraries through foundation fundraising and money from the city's General Fund. Other neighborhood improvements include:

• Casa Blanca Family Learning Center opened in March 2003 using redevelopment funds.
• La Sierra Neighborhood Library expanded children's area with General Fund monies
• Eastside Cybrary and Nichols Cybrary started with Community Development Block Grant funds

One of the primary implementation tools of the city's updated General Plan is an updated, comprehensive, user-friendly Zoning Ordinance. The city will use new zoning regulations to create strong community identities by defining appropriate land use regulation, flexible development/intensity standards and design expectations. The new Zoning Ordinance will implement New Urbanism principles in neighborhoods by integrating residences with other neighborhood features such as parks, schools and corner stores.