The Buzz: How close is Redding to getting its own REI? Travel center eyed for Cottonwood

When the former Barnes Noble/OfficeMax building went on the auction block a two months ago, Redding commercial realtor Ken Miller told me he was disappointed to see it happen.

That’s because Miller said he was working with a potential tenant, that if it signed on, would have been huge news for the North State.

A few weeks after that conversation, I heard a rumor that that tenant was REI , or Recreational Equipment Inc., the iconic outdoor accessories store that doesn’t have any locations north of Sacramento in California. Miller told me the rumor was true and he still holds out hope that it could happen.

“This community has been dying for an REI for a long time. It is probably the most common complaint that I get: ‘Why don’t we have an REI?’“ said Miller, whose Northstate Commercial Partners was marketing the old Barnes & Noble/Office Max building for the former owner.

The building on Churn Creek Road did sell at auction in May to a Northern California ownership group with a winning bid of just over $3 million, according to Tiffeny Cook of Tranzon Asset Strategies , the Irvine-based company that conducted the auction.

Miller said REI did look seriously at the building. He said the retailer was interested in the OfficeMax portion of the building. OfficeMax closed in 2017. Barnes & Noble closed late last year and relocated to Hilltop Drive, where it opened in late January.

“What I was told is that what turned them (REI representatives) was the building was worn out,” Miller said.

It got to the point where REI executives were considering signing a letter of intent to lease the building, Miller said, adding that plans were in the works to turn the letter over to “the attorneys.”

“Five to six people from REI did a serious walkthrough and inspected the building,” he said. “I thought we were there.”

With new owners taking over the building, Miller said there’s still a chance REI could revisit plans to open in Redding. “They may still be out there. They may circle back,” he said.

REI was established in 1938. One of its popular programs is its co-op membership , where members get discounts and rewards on purchases. There are also membership classes and events.

Had REI landed in Redding, "I'd a run for mayor if I had gotten it," Miller quipped.

Stay tuned.

Travel center coming to Cottonwood?

Work has been ongoing in the Cottonwood area along southbound Interstate 5 on new truck scales. The site is about 10 miles north of Red Bluff.

But an even bigger project is in that area's future.

A large travel center is being proposed on 29 acres along Interstate 5 in Tehama County. The project applicant is Cottonwood Investment Group, an LLC out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Galloway , which has an office in Fresno, is doing the engineering, providing the architectural design, civil engineering, site development, fueling design, landscape architecture, planning and site lighting services.

Shasta County Resource Management Director Paul Hellman told me that there is some misinformation on social media about the project's location.

"I was not familiar with this project, so I called the contact at Galloway, Terra Mortensen, who informed me that this project is located in Tehama County at the I-5/Hooker Creek Road interchange," Hellman wrote in an email. "There seems to be some confusion on social media that this project is proposed to be developed at the I-5/Gas Point Road interchange; we have not had any contact with any land owners or developers about the development of a similar project at that location."

Hellman added that there is a social media post that shows Right Site Real Estate is marketing the Gas Point Road-Interstate 5 interchange property for a travel center.

"Auto and truck service stations and fast food restaurants require the approval of a use permit by the Planning Commission (or the Board of Supervisors upon appeal) so such permits would need to be obtained before a project such as this could proceed," Hellman said.

Eihnard Diaz of Redding is the project manager. He said the Tehama County project is along northbound I-5. Diaz explained that the application was submitted last year and was deemed incomplete. A revised application is expected to be submitted to the county soon, Diaz said.

Meanwhile, from Galloway’s website about the Tehama County project:

“The travel center will have high-speed EV charging stations for trucks and passenger vehicles to support the nationwide transition of trucking fleets to electric vehicles (EV). Traditional fueling pumps and high-speed diesel fueling will also be available. All charging and fueling stations, as well as the buildings, will have solar panel canopies.”

The travel center will include a store, full-service restaurant, two pads for a fast-food and quick-serve restaurants and RV parking.

“Unique for this project size, the whole site is on well water and septic. The site plan also includes sound walls on the north and east sides due to the proximity of single-family housing,” the website states.

Galloway did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

New Holiday could open in early 2025

Construction is well under way on the new Holiday Market grocery store in east Redding.

The store will anchor the Holiday Marketplace at the southeast corner of Shasta View Drive and Hartnell Avenue.

Quick Quack Car Wash and Starbucks have already opened locations in the shopping center.

“We are making good progress now as you can see. If all goes well, weather cooperates and we do not have any supply chain issues, we look to open by the end of February 2025,” said Brad Askeland, president of North State Grocery Inc., parent company of Holiday.

Askeland said no other tenants have committed to the shopping center at this time.

“I believe once we get closer to the completion of our building, potential suitors will see the value and opportunity in our center. We are very excited to finally get this project completed for our employee owners and our customers,” he said.

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 X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: The Buzz: How close is Redding to getting its own REI? Travel center eyed for Cottonwood