Here’s a fact that surprises most people: about 543,000 new businesses are started every month in the United States. And with a new plan for revitalizing downtown Redding, local politicians and business leaders hope to attract some of those young companies to apply for business licenses in Shasta County. This March, the City Council heard ideas for the new downtown, moving the city one step closer to transforming the city for the 21st century.

What Is the Downtown Redding Specific Plan?

Last year, the City of Redding initiated the Downtown Redding Specific Plan Update (not to be confused with the Downtown Redding Transportation Plan, passed unanimously in December 2016). The revitalization plan would “transform” downtown Redding and “provide clear direction for development and create an economically viable strategy to develop Downtown to its fullest potential and establish it as a destination in the ‘heart’ of the City.”

In short, it’s a plan to create new green spaces, public infrastructure, an economic development strategy, and whatever else the city needs to serve residents and businesses alike. And this March, the Redding Record Searchlight reported that “in its ongoing quest to transform the downtown area,” the City Council heard specific proposals for the new downtown space, which could include a $37 million, four-story development, improved bicycle and pedestrian lanes, green spaces, public plazas, and more.

What’s In Store for Downtown Redding in 2017?

Bruce Brubaker, who works for PlaceWorks, the company developing the proposal for the Downtown Redding Specific Plan Update, said he believes the downtown revitalization is part of the larger economic growth occurring in Shasta County.

“It’s a time in Redding where after the recession and a lot of inactivity for many years, now it looks like the tide is starting to turn a bit. There’s a lot more interest in Redding,” Brubaker told the Redding Record Searchlight.

Redding residents can see photos from the downtown proposal online, and there will also be a Community Workshop to discuss the plan on March 30, starting at 4 p.m. in the City Hall Council Champers.

The downtown Redding revitalization project is just one aspect of a broader economic development strategy that’s helping attract new residents and business owners establishing a business to Shasta County.