The City of Redding held two community meetings with consulting firm MIG to obtain more input from the public on the Riverfront Specific Plan, which will determine how the east side of the Sacramento River, from the Cypress Street bridge to the Redding Rodeo Grounds and boat ramp, will be developed. It is important for those of you who care about our local environment to write to the City to let them know that you want to preserve the riparian areas along the Sacramento River and have all buildings set back from the river. It doesn’t have to be an eloquent letter; it just needs to convey that you appreciate access to the river habitat’s plants and wildlife.
If enough people write letters, it will make a difference. The letter can be 200 words or 600—just emphasize that you want to preserve the natural areas of the river. Email your letter to the Redding City Council at coucil@cityofredding.org and planning@cityofredding.org, and to Development Services Director Jeremy Pagan at jpagan@cityofredding.org.
Sample letter
I am concerned that the Riverfront Specific Plan will not protect the riparian areas along the river that are so important to wildlife. I have walked the Turtle Bay area often and feel that putting up any apartments, stores, restaurants, or other buildings in this area would detract from the beauty of the place. An improved rodeo grounds would be good, but not a huge stadium that would require multilevel parking structures that would be detrimental to the area. This is public land and it should not be sold to private developers and taken away from the citizens of Redding.
These are just ideas on how to get some of the issues across that are important to many people in Redding. The most important thing is to have the City Council hear from you.
For more conservation news and events, please see Shasta Environmental Alliance’s July 2024 Newsletter. ~David Ledger