Looking out the window of the Redding Chamber of Commerce on a 75-degree spring, partly cloudy, spring afternoon I see an encouraging sight – industrial vehicles delivering fill dirt, semi-trucks with heavy loads of trusses, and groups of construction workers in safety orange heading to a neighborhood restaurant for takeout (or dine-in!).
Even though the last 2 months have meant most commerce has come to a screeching halt, local commercial and residential construction has continued at the torrid pace we saw B.C. – Before COVID.
The $200 million in Downtown Redding projects are further along, including “Market Center”, which is a $44 million mixed-use project including 82 units of housing and the accompanying reopening of streets downtown. Just down the street from where I sit, the Shasta Community Health Center is underway in its continued expansion of its main campus, the Shasta County Courthouse project has risen high into the sky, and the “Block 7” project, which is in the location of the former downtown parking structure, has revealed new sightlines not seen since the Nixon Administration.
By the way, remember when parking was a big issue??
Moving across the Sacramento River, HomeGoods and Sprouts are open at the Mount Shasta Mall, and Chick-fil-A is coming soon – so we hear. Costco just leaped over a major hurdle when the Redding City Council gave its unanimous OK to the project after years of delays, and the City of Redding Planning Commission has recommended to the City Council that Dignity Health’s project next to the Henderson Open Space move ahead as well. Senator Maurice Johannassen will not let us forget about another major project – the 77,000 square-foot VA Clinic under construction on Knighten Road.
We are stronger as a region. We truly believe that. So it is important to also recognize the significant projects underway in Anderson and the City of Shasta Lake. Anderson just welcomed US-Offsite, and its planned 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility near Interstate 5. According to Assistant City Manager, Jessaca Lugo, the City of Shasta Lake is on target with the Veterans Village, scheduled to break ground in July. “This is a great project, and I am super excited to see this happen for our Veterans”, Ms. Lugo said. Additionally, Redding Rancheria Economic Development Corporation (RREDCO) is moving forward with a Commercial Center project that will include a Homewood Suites Hotel, Restaurant/Bar, and site for an urgent care facility. “This project is a priority for the City, and we could not have asked for a better developer to work with,” according to the Assistant City Manager.
Last, but not least, Palomar Builders continues to hedge its bets that churning out new residential starts will pay off for the company. Smaller home builders like Robbie Middleton Homes tell the Chamber that there is still plenty of work rebuilding homes lost in the Carr Fire to keep them busy for the foreseeable future.
As we continue to strongly advocate the reopening of all business in our community, we are also encouraged that many of the transformative projects in the county are still moving forward (and I’m sure I missed a few!). That, as much as anything, is a great distraction from the challenges of the day.
