City Will Consider Deal for Prime Riverfront Land Including Rodeo Grounds, Civic Auditorium and Riverfront Park

This is the first story in our ongoing coverage of proposed riverfront land development.

A special meeting of the Redding City Council scheduled for Tuesday, September 7, will include early negotiations related to the possible sale or lease of multiple parcels that include almost all the riverfront property that falls south of the Sundial Bridge.

The McConnell Foundation and Turtle Bay Exploration Park, as well as development companies Populous and K2, are listed as negotiating parties.

The land being discussed includes Riverfront Park, a grass amphitheater along Auditorium Drive that backs to the Sacramento River and is one of the few places the public can access the river within city limits. The Redding Civic Auditorium, which is currently being leased by Advance Redding, and much of Turtle Bay Exploration Park are also included.

The real estate negotiation was listed on a publicly available agenda released prior to the meeting, as directed by the Brown Act. But the use of parcel numbers, rather than maps or descriptions of property to indicate the land being discussed, largely obscures the importance of the property from public view.

No public discussions regarding the possible land sale have yet been held. Closed sessions related to property negotiations are allowable under the Real Estate Exception to the Brown Act, which appears to allow the Council to discuss specifics related to price and payment, but not the sale as a whole.

Shasta Scout is reaching out to relevant parties for comment and further information.  

This is a developing story. 

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