After a proposal to develop key riverfront land was brought to the city council in September, staff solicited public input. Shasta Scout collected and analyzed data from emails, survey responses, and public workshop comments to provide a summary of what the public has said so far. Here’s what we found.
Native people presented a united front against selling riverfront land to private developers at Thursday’s Redding City Council riverfront development workshop. They invoked their responsibility to protect their homelands and the remains of their ancestors and pledged to prevent further erasure.
A series of public workshops, surveys and social media posts by the city haven’t reassured many community members that they’re being included in the riverfront planning process. Shasta Scout looked at how the city’s process compares with best practices in community engagement.
As Redding considers selling riverfront land for redevelopment, news archives from the 60’s and 70’s provide insight into how the city became owners of the land. Another public workshop on the possible sale and redevelopment of the land will be held tonight.
Despite recent losses, Advance Redding hopes to manage events at the Civic even after the new Bethel Church campus opens. Some in the Redding community worry about their connections to Bethel Church. Their contract renewal for Civic management is being negotiated and is likely to come back before the Council in November.
In the first of four public workshops on a proposed riverfront land development, the Council will hear a presentation on the process for declaring city land surplus in preparation for sale. A report from the City Attorney indicates that the City could declare the properties as “exempted surplus land” and sell to a developer ready to build at least three hundred housing units, with 25 percent of them meeting affordable housing requirements.
In this Building Democracy column we’re sharing the strategies that are shaping our coverage of Redding’s riverfront land development proposal and other news stories. And we’re welcoming your feedback.
Marge Cantrell emphasized the importance of keeping Redding’s natural beauty and small-town feel front-and-center. “Every town doesn’t have to have a Disney,” Cantrell said.
The discussion centers around a proposal by two developers and two non-profits to develop key riverfront land.
The proposal from Populous, K2, Turtle Bay and McConnell to buy prime riverfront land will be discussed as part of an open session of Tuesday’s City Council meeting. At that meeting the Council could decide to enter into a non-binding agreement with developers or declare almost 200 acres of riverfront land surplus.
During a tense end to Tuesday’s meeting Council Member Dacquisto called for the disclosure of the K2, Populous and McConnell Foundation proposal that was submitted to Council. Shasta Scout followed up with city staff and others. Here’s what we found.
A lawyer specializing in Brown Act violations said the city’s lack of transparency should be seen as a “red flag.”
This is a developing story. Shasta Scout is reaching out to relevant parties for comment and further information.
