On Jan. 29, 2021, Magnolia Crossings won third place for the new construction with landscaping category of the Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful awards.
Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful is a city-sponsored organization that has aimed to plant more trees, eliminate graffiti and litter and further city beautification since 1992. Events are held all year, bringing a total of 29,913 volunteer hours to participate in yearly.
According to the official website, the awards are held annually and presented at the mayor’s State of the City Address. The nominees are judged by a specific set of criteria.
“All nominations are judged the first week of December and judges look at architectural design, landscaping, building improvements, general maintenance, screening of utilities, historical preservation, and parking lot beautification,” according to the Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful website.
Joe Ojeda, residence director of Magnolia Crossing, remarked on CBU’s general architectural theme and the hard work of the upkeep staff as the reason for success.
“Magnolia Crossing is consistent with CBU’s overall Mission Revival and Spanish architecture design, which is characterized by red clay tile roofs, wood trellises, thickened walls and covered walkways,” Ojeda said.
Ojeda said there are several factors that set Magnolia Crossing apart. “While I have not seen the judges remarks on the building,” Ojeda said. “I can only imagine the new building design and our facilities and grounds teams work to keep our landscape clean and manicured contributed to the award.”
Mackenzie Hernandez, sophomore communication disorders major, spoke on the aspects that she loves about living in Magnolia Crossing.
“It is definitely a great place to live for on-campus housing,” Hernandez said. “It has a beautiful lobby with many TVs and lounge areas, and the study rooms make space seem even bigger.”
She also touched on her favorite spots in the living complex along with the landscape.
“The landscape is very uniform and looks beautiful from the outside and inside,” Hernandez said. “The back patio space is fun for grilling, hanging out and doing homework outside.”
Magnolia Crossing is planning to continue further beautification projects focusing on the landscape in the future.
