Riverside council adopts smoke shop distance rules that could force 35 shops to move or close within two years

The Riverside City Council on Aug. 11 adopted an ordinance setting location and operating rules for standalone tobacco shops, a change a staff report says could require 35 existing shops to relocate or shut down.

Ordinance No. 7792 was adopted as part of the consent calendar, which the meeting minutes say passed unanimously on a motion by Councilmember Hemenway, seconded by Councilmember Mill.

The ordinance had been introduced July 14. According to the staff report, Councilmembers Falcone, Cervantes, Robillard and Mill voted for introduction, Councilmember Conder voted no, Councilmember Hernandez abstained and Hemenway was absent.

What the ordinance does

The ordinance adds Chapter 19.405 to the zoning code. Under it, a smoke shop must be at least 100 feet from any residential use or zone, the staff report says.

A shop must also be at least 1,000 feet from public parks, K-12 schools, childcare facilities, places of worship or meeting halls, and other smoke shops.

Shops will need a security plan, minimum storefront and parking lot lighting, and a trespass authorization on file with the Police Department.

Existing, legally established shops that do not meet the distance rules get two years from the ordinance's effective date to keep operating. After that they must move to a compliant site or close, though the ordinance allows extensions for financial hardship.

Before the change, smoke shops were treated as general retail and allowed by right wherever commercial or mixed uses are zoned, the report says.

The numbers

Police Department data from June 2026 show 214 known tobacco sellers in Riverside, 41 of which qualify as smoke shops under the zoning code, according to the staff report.

At least 24 of those are thought to operate without a required tobacco retail permit or in violation of one, the report says.

A mapping analysis found six current shops that meet all of the new location requirements.

The council had imposed a moratorium on new tobacco retail permits in September 2025 and extended it the following month, the report says.

Staff wrote that the city's Economic Development Division can help affected businesses with relocation.

Casa Blanca land sale

Also on the consent calendar, the council, acting as successor agency for the city's former redevelopment agency, approved selling a vacant site of about 3.7 acres, called Madison at Railroad, for $650,000. The buyer is Railroad Ave Storage LLC.

It proposes a self-storage facility of about 96,000 square feet in three two-story buildings and four three-bedroom homes to be sold as affordable housing, according to the staff report.

A September 2025 appraisal valued the site at $860,000. The report says a consultant concluded $650,000 reflects fair market value because the appraisal counted a 15,000-square-foot piece the city is keeping for a grade separation planned later and because a sewer main extension is needed.

The sale still requires approval from the Countywide Oversight Board, the minutes show.