Shasta Lake's own Sundial Bridge? Here's a look at K2's latest building idea
David BendaThe same local development company whose $38 million project is seen as one of the catalysts for revitalization efforts in downtown Redding wants to do the same for the city of Shasta Lake.
K2 Development aims to build a roughly 60,000-square-foot residential-commercial center called Boomtown along Shasta Dam Boulevard.
The 49 affordable apartment units and commercial space would essentially take up the block between Deer Creek and Stanton Drive on the south side of the street and Grand River Avenue and Median Avenue on the north side.
Central Valley Feed and Dan's Optical, on the south side of Shasta Dam Boulevard between Deer Creek and Stanton, would not be part of the project.
Bob Nelson, who owns Central Valley Feed on the corner of Shasta Dam Boulevard and Deer Creek Road and will be one of the project's neighbors, likes what he's read about it so far.
"The new project has a good possibility to vitalize the city," he said. "With the housing and shops being kind of a center hub off the boulevard, I think it will be a positive in the long run."
Nelson hopes traffic improvements will deter logging trucks from taking the boulevard through town on their way to the Sierra Pacific sawmill.
City officials envision Boomtown as a hub, a centerpiece for Shasta Lake where locals and tourists would gather.
“Kind of like what the Sundial Bridge is to Redding,” Shasta Lake Assistant City Manager Jessaca Lugo said in reference to the community-gathering aspects the center will create.
The development would complement the hotel and commercial center proposed by the Redding Rancheria near the corner of Shasta Dam and Cascade boulevards, she said.
A Boomtown public workshop is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Shasta Lake Community Center on Main Street. The Shasta Lake Planning Commission will be asked to approve a conditional use permit for the project at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“It’s a similar thought process we are creating with this project,” K2’s Allen Knott said of comparing Boomtown to what they’re doing in downtown Redding. “Hopefully it can be a catalyst for the area and spark others to come in and make an investment and create a sense of place.”
The name is an ode to the "boomtown" that grew during the construction of Shasta Dam in the mid-20th century.
K2 and the city are seeking state Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant money to help build the project.
On Feb. 4, the Shasta Lake City Council will be asked to approve the grant application. The deadline to apply is Feb. 11.
K2 also leveraged AHSC money for its $38 million Market Center project on the former Dicker’s department store site in downtown Redding and for Block 7, a K2-McConnell Foundation project that will replace the California Street parking structure in downtown Redding. The city of Redding also is a partner on both of those projects.
K2 recently broke ground on a 47-unit affordable apartment complex on Lake Boulevard in north Redding.
K2 also is partnering with the McConnell Foundation on a $22 million apartment complex for homeless individuals with a serious mental illness or at risk of being homeless. That project would be next to Hill Country Health and Wellness' Center of Hope on Industrial Street in Redding.
Knott said they will seek approximately $20 million in state grant money for the Shasta Lake development.
"Which will allow us to put together a $43 million project," he said.
Lugo believes Boomtown would be a game-changer for the city and agreed it potentially could kick-start more development along Shasta Dam Boulevard.
Another future neighbor would be Don Tonks, who lives in nearby apartments. His overall opinion is positive.
"Beautifying the boulevard is good. I like that," he said.
"The highest and best use would be probably as they're planning," said Tonks, a former real estate appraiser.
He likes the proposed street upgrades with crosswalks, "so I won't have to worry about getting run over."
One of his concerns is the plan for retail shops "when we don't have enough business right now to keep the current shops in town open."
The city for several years has been working on the boulevard, putting in sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes.
Boomtown would enhance those transportation improvements and help to further connect people to government offices and commerce in the city. The north side of the project also would front Clair Engle Park.
“It’s unique that our community is pretty walkable already and the city has made great strides getting those sidewalks and bike lanes in over the last 15 years,” Lugo said.
Meanwhile, design work continues on the Homewood Suites the Redding Rancheria wants to build near Shasta Dam and Cascade boulevards. Construction on the project could start in spring 2022, Lugo said.
There is a chance the Shasta Lake Planning Commission will consider the project later this year, Lugo said.
Complementing the hotel would be a 27,000-square-foot retail center made of up two separate multi-tenant buildings, Redding Rancheria Economic Development Corp. President Gary Hayward has said.
The retail center could include a sit-down restaurant, fast-food place and coffee shop, Hayward told the Record Searchlight last September.
Photographer Mike Chapman contributed to this story.
Watch this video of the Block 7 project for downtown Redding as envisioned by K2 and McConnell Foundation:
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David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.