The plan was eventually scaled back to the current 1,600 apartments to win approval from the community and the city.
Last January, a band of citizens' groups won a $1.1 million settlement from the city in a lawsuit over the plant's operation.
The candidates agreed to the spending limits in exchange for winning subsidies from the city for their campaign.
The group sued, winning a $59,000 out-of-court settlement from the city.
The university also won honors from the city of Riverside.
"Whatever we've won from the city has been won bit by bit in court."
A police officer there won a $1.5 million class action settlement last year from the city for coverage of infertility treatment.
This has helped him win permission from the city to raise rents, meaning that millions more Federal dollars flow his way.
The officials each won a $25,000 settlement from the city.
The company won several unusually generous concessions from the city that will allow further expansion to as much as two million square feet.