Public Comments

Hi, I recently heard of the Riverfront Project. I live near Park Marina and like to bike down to the Bead man and feed the ducks with my kids. I often wondered about the space and why something so beautiful had such limited access, with the old vacant buildings, and unused office spaces. I often wondered what ever happened to the restaurant off the lake (not that I could go, as it cost to much when I first moved here), but why there wasn’t something, anything more to do in that area (besides aqua golf). I moved here from Monterey area. My grandmother used to take me to Dennis the Menis Park. There was structured and natural playgrounds with a very large body of water in the middle where people would rent/ride pedal boats that looked like geese and swans. It was always a place full of energy and life and I know the nearby businesses benefited from the activity and location.
It would be really nice. :)

I agree with the comment that the river edge should focus on a healthy aquatic habitat for fish, honoring the first nations people.

I was the artist who through extensive community input including guidance by some of the Shasta Dam workers on how to honor the history of the Aggregate Plant and its vital role in the construction of Shasta Dam. The video presentation does an adeqate joy of relating that history but overlooks mentioning the Monolith as a history museum artwork. You do mention other cultural resources at Turtle Bay but not the Monolith. Please make an effort to mention its presence.

The Hard Hat water fountain needs a a power source to reactivate the fountain with a small solar array in the shape of Shasta Dam, after all the monolith if the pedestal that made the Shasta Dam. Please work with Turtle Bay to provide funding if possible.

Hello all,

I was born and raised in Redding and used to teach Indian Education at Gateway Unified School District. I am writing to urge you to end the Redding Riverfront Development Project and instead rematriate the land to the local Wintu Tribe, who have stewarded the land that is now known as the city of Redding for time immemorial.

If you follow through with the development project, you will be contributing to the continued genocide of local Native tribes.

Furthermore, the environmental impact of the project will harm local tribes' salmon restoration projects. Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu has been painstakingly working to save winter-run Chinook salmon from extinction, which are a keystone species to the ecosystem of our region. The health of the native salmon of the Sacramento river reflects the health of the Native peoples of the Redding area. If the salmon die, the people die. This development project would be devastating for Indigenous life and survival.

I hope that you will be able to find in your own hearts the humanity to not sacrifice the health of the Sacramento river and the Wintu tribe for money. I beg you to stop the riverfront development project and save what we have left of the earth for all future generations. Please give the land that is the development site back to its indigenous caretakers, where it will remain in safe and loving hands for years to come.

Additionally, please watch this short film to learn more about the Winnemem Wintu tribe and their incredible work to save the McCloud and Sacramento Rivers.

Please do reach out to me if you have any follow up questions or comments!

Thank you,

Hello,

I am opposed to the guiding framework that was recently approved by the Redding Council for riverfront planning. It will be devastating for local tribes and their Salmon restoration projects. I want the control of the land to return to indigenous stewardship of any federally and non federally recognized tribes.


With love for my community,

Dear City of Redding,
As a resident in my 30s, I strongly support redeveloping the Riverfront. The Park Marina drive has great potential as a venue for restaurants, shops, corporate headquarters, museums on the River/City/Native American history and additional access points for launching kayaks or foot access to fish the shoreline. The natural resource of the Sacramento River needs to be more than vacant lots, run down buildings and homeless encampments. Moving the rodeo grounds to near the air port can also allow for the space to be used for more than 7 days a year.
Young people and families need opportunities to see the city grow and prosper.

This town has always been the hub of Redding Rodeo. It is a life long tradition and should be looked at with great respect. The revenue generated from Redding Rodeo has been a blessing to our community. For decades the people in city hall have tried to sweep it under the rug. They should be ashamed at their behavior and neglect. We are a town of many vices and adventures. We also trust our people to be honest and keep a little bit of the old west feel and family values the Rodeo brings this to our families and friends. Please take with good responsibility when making this decision. Keep us alive. Thank you

Timeless family/community traditions are being rapidly erased in the name of progress. Redding Rodeo Association has been a positive for many children, teens, and adults. It has given innumerable families common activities to enjoy together. Redding Rodeo itself brings many people and a significant amount of money to this community.
My family and I would like to see this family/community tradition carry on! Please do not erase another piece of our history!!

The Redding Rodeo is a top notch event brought to the city each year that brings in a great deal of money as well as fans from all over the country. It is my thought that we could add some new features to the grounds such as more sponsors tents and raised box seating. A new barn for the rodeo grounds would also be a great addition. It should be kept a part of the plan, as the Redding Rodeo is a part of not only Redding Rodeo history, but Shasta County and the PRCA. The RRA brings so much positivity to the community, there is no reason to terminate the lease to such a historic venue in the greater Redding area. Thank you

Please please please do not get rid of the rodeo grounds. We’ve been going there since I was a kid and my parents went there when they were kids and now my son has been going there since he was toddler. It’s such a great fun family event and the motocross event helps so many local sports teams. And the pow wow is awesome there too. Taking this away would be a disgrace to our city.

What can never be replaced is the majesty of what Redding’s natural open space offers. Imagine a wild portion of the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan.
Leave Turtle Bay and Turtle Bay East alone, please!

Keep the rodeo grounds in the same spot they are now. If you wish to make it part of your riverfront project then how about some upgrades to those grounds like more seating, shelter stables for the animals and more parking.

Here’s what I’d like to see. North of highway 44 I would like to see stay pretty much as is with regards to the Sheraton and all of Turtle Bay museum grounds and that trail that roughly follows the river from the Sundial bridge around to the monolith which should be for art and a seasonal haunted house. The civic should stay the same outside and renovated / modernized as needed inside. There should be a parking garage attached to the back of the civic. The rodeo grounds remaining where it is and its lease extended long enough so they can improve the space to host more events is my single biggest preference for this whole riverfront plan. I’d like to see a multi level parking garage on butte st where the field we park in anyway is and a pedestrian bridge over 44 to access all venues to the north. I’ll cover South of 44 in another e-mail. Thank you for reading my opinion.

Redding rodeo has been my second home since I was a toddler I am now 21 years, I have always loved being apart of the wonderful association! Redding rodeo is one of the most fun events we do every year, a lot of people look forward to it.

Please keep the redding rodeo, it is one of the best things out town has to offer and it’s one of the best events of the year. i work the rodeo every year, it needs to stay

I would like to see the east side of Park Marina developed into tourist destenation sport of like Old Town Sacramento along the Sacramento River. Obviously a raise board walk right on the river bank with waterfront restaurants. Perhaps keeping with Old Town Sacramento with a old town rustic theme of the old west with architecture.

Leave it the hell alone.

I strongly support the following guidelines requested by the Wintu Audubon Society. We need very careful development along the river corridor. Thank you.
1. Establish adequately sized and protected no-disturbance buffers for all bird and wildlife habitat areas (including riparian zones and including areas for which riparian values can be restored). Establish buffer zone sizes based on best available science tailored to the location, not guesswork.
2. Support the restoration of degraded riparian areas such as the area between the Sundial Bridge and the Rodeo Grounds, and the gravel pits and inundated borrow areas at Cypress Square.
3. Complete a comprehensive inventory of all bird and wildlife habitats and the species they support. (This has never been done, in spite of a series of City development decisions which should have required it, including the Museum, the Bridge, the Hotel and planned improvements to the boat launch area at the Rodeo Grounds. Additionally, the Plan Consultant does not have an adequate budget item for this recommended task.)
4. Limit public access improvements and require only low impact trails near riparian areas (paved trails require wider footprint of vegetation removal and cause greater pollutant runoff).
5. Limit invasive lighting and increased noise after dusk.
These are the primary issues Wintu Audubon has raised in the past. PLEASE let the City, the Coalition, and the Consultant know your values, concerns, and preferences by filing an email or in-person comment.

I would like the Coalition to include in the vision for the project specific ways to protect the Garden Tract neighborhood from high volumes of traffic. I would like the vision to specify that no City-owned land be offered for sale to avoid having to declare the land "surplus," thus avoiding the possibility that low-income housing would be developed in environmentally sensitive areas. I would like the vision to specify that no existing housing, including the trailer park next to the river off Park Marina, will be removed to avoid contributing to homelessness.

Dear Redding Riverfront Team,
As a resident of Redding/Anderson since 1944 I would like to provide a few comments on how I view the area under discussion...The Specific Plan for the Riverfront within the City Limits of ReddingCA.
1. First and foremost, please keep in mind that the 100 Year Flood Plan should be part of, and adhered to, for any vision and design.
2. It seems that the City of Redding and the Kutras Family need to sit down and work out an agreement so that either the City or the Kutras Family are basically the entity that goes forward.
3. As you ponder over many suggestions and desires for the Riverfront Plan, keep in mind that it's Mother Nature that will have the final say in regards to developments that could be subject to climate conditions over the next few years.
4. As far as development...e.g. motels, entertainment, housing, etc. Again, I feel the Riverfront Plan should have the least impact on the river. Include a designated area from the river to park Marina as a No Development Zone. Keeping it as natural as possible. This would give the citizens and tourists the most feasible use of this pristine area. {Similar to the area from No. Market St bridge and going north along the river and river trail}
5. Yes to minimal public art/sculptures/walking exercise areas, etc. No to commercial entities such as...Golf, food kiosks, noisy attractions.
6. The area that comprises the Civic, Sheraton, Rodeo grounds and Sundial Bridge are sufficient as a retail & commercial development area. With some attention to the Rodeo grounds and the Sundial Bridge maintenance; this area, for the most part, sufficiently supports the community and visitors needs in a well managed manner.
Thank you for your time and considerations,

Jeremy,

I had a few days to think about the meeting on Monday. The most important comments were by the public and not the coalition. I assume in the next meeting, the idea board will be summarized as a starting point. Please include these comments made by the public:

1. The theme should be centered around the river and be made accessible to lower income families. As of 2020, the median income in Redding was $28K for individuals and $56K for households.
2. The tribal voice has to be heard.
3. This is not an urban waterfront like San Antonio (pop. 1.4 million).
4. There are traffic issues in the Garden Tract. The most direct route from Park Marina and Turtle Bay to downtown is through the Garden Tract via South, Placer, and Yuba Street.

Lastly, please provide a list of public vs. private lands.

If you could pass this onto MIG so it's on the next presentation, that would be great.

As a Redding resident for 44 years, I care deeply about the future development of the riverfront area. I attended the introductory project meeting in August at the civic auditorium and the Oct. 9 meeting at City Hall Council Chambers.

I think the highest priority in considering the future of the riverfront area is preserving the natural environment so the trees, vegetation, and animals on land and in the river can thrive. The big mistake would be to over-develop the area and negatively impact the natural environment: it would destroy what makes the riverfront so enjoyable.

To achieve the continuing health of the natural environment, I think environmental preservation should be the first goal of the Riverfront Plan. Proposed development projects can then be weighed as to their effect on what the plants and animals need to thrive. However, often planning is done with the proposed development as first priority and ""mitigations"" are identified as a sub-category. The problem: ""mitigation"" means to make something less bad; but it's still not good for the plants/animals, just not as bad. The priority should be a thriving natural environment as a primary goal. If we lose the health of the environment, we lose everything!

With this goal in mind, I think the Turtle Bay area should get NO expanded commercial development. Enhancing the visitor experience can come with additional or enhanced interpretive features that will help people appreciate and support the natural environment and the history and cultural values of the Indigenous peoples who lived there.

Commercial development is more appropriate for the Park Marina Drive area where the closed commercial developments are located. Again, the natural environment should be protected all along the riverfront.

Sincerely,

Good evening,
I am the Director of a Community Non Profit Group called Friends of the Redding Eagles.

I have been walking & riding the TB Bird Sanctuary trails since 1993. I met my husband walking those trails & we raised our son on those trails, too. So I am very familiar with that area & with much of the wildlife who inhabit that riparian area.

Our Community Group has some serious concerns about the upcoming development of this area & how these changes will impact the nesting Redding Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Great Horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks. I know the locations of all of these nests because I have been monitoring the raptors in the area for many years.

Our Friends of the Redding Eagles Community Group does monthly Tours open to the public on the TB Bird Sanctuary Trail & along the Dana to Downtown Trail. Our FORE Group also works closely with the City of Redding to keep these areas safe & clean for the wildlife in the area. We report transient camps & pick up trash daily along the Dana to Downtown Trail which we adopted with United Shasta in 2019.

Our group would like to request that before any work is done that you complete a comprehensive survey of all of the Wildlife Species in the TB Bird Sanctuary area. This way you will know exactly which species are inhabiting the area & the population of each of those species. That will allow you to monitor any & all impacts the construction & development in the area might be having on the wildlife. Then you can make adjustments accordingly.

We do support your efforts to make much needed improvements to the area, but we want to make sure the impact to wildlife is as minimal as possible.

We are hopeful that the improvements will deter & displace the transients who have taken up residence in the Rodeo Grounds & Turtle Bay Area. We have witnessed severe impact to the wildlife & their habitat ever since 2010 when the Dana to Downtown Trail was opened.

I would be glad to consult with you & share any information you need about the Bald Eagles & other wildlife in the TB Bird Sanctuary.

Thank you for your time & attention to this matter.
Sincerely,

There is always talk of making money bu encouraging development. I'm sure there have been
developers in NYC who had their eyes on Central Park.but the value of surrounding properties depends on there being a central park. The River Front ampitheatre is so small and the trail deadends at the foot of the cemetery. For elders taking a lovely stroll in the skade it would
be wonderful to have a gradual, switch back trail that went up to and thrhas ough the cemetery.

Multipurpose is not the goal for these special riverfront park areas. Separate into zones and totally preserve the riparian areas. Park View Marina could afford more river access for families. Perhaps this zone is one that can stand redevelopment.
The Auditorium is a failed enterprise. Figure out how to get rid of it and let it go back to park.

Dear Committee Members,

Without going into great detail, as a resident of Redding I am opposed to any development in the Bird Sanctuary area of Turtle Bay. Isn't Turtle Bay supposed to be an educational/environmental oasis in the middle of our beautiful city. Developing the riverfront for commercial purposes seems to be a land grab by somebody seeking financial gain. Does it always have to be about money? Joni Michell said it best, ""..you don't know what you've got till it's gone""
Do not develop this riverfront sanctuary.

Sincerely,

Hello-

Instead of developing more paved pathways and buildings, why not create a beautiful natural corridor that echos a riparian corridor?

Instead of building expensive and exclusive buildings only wealthy people can access, why not maintain a natural heritage that is irreplaceable?

There are way too many empty retail buildings, and the expensive downtown development is a heat island that was never meant to attract the humble folk of this area.

Residents in this area walk the river trail by the Sundial bridge because it is a natural treasure.

It is the living river, the fish and birds, the large oaks, the mountain views that need to be enshrined and preserved.

Thank you,