The moratorium was enacted to allow Riverside residents time to create a committee to plan future development of their neighborhood.

Riverside residents now said that because the city took eight months to establish the committee after the moratorium’s adoption, the time lost should be added as an extension.

“We just wanted a true 18 months,” said Riverside Study Committee member Cob Carlson.

Since it began meetings in April, the 20-person committee has been holding twice-monthly regular meetings. At a special mid-July meeting the committee “invited all members of the Riverside community to attend and share their ideal vision for Riverside. That meeting was attended by over 100 residents.

“The committee is going well,” said Carlson. “There are some hot spots [of potential development] that we are focusing on.”

The Mahoney’s site has received particularly strong attention by the committee. Many Riverside residents have strong opposition to the placement of the museum on the site—a site many in the community have said they believe should remain open space.

“The truth is that there is a slim slim number who might say that a museum is a good use for that site,” said Carlson.