Shasta Bike Depot in downtown Redding to open next month

When the Shasta Bike Depot opens next month in downtown Redding, a vision that Anne Thomas has had for more than a decade will come to life.

“Our first activity for Shasta Living Streets was 2010, so this vision was 10 years" in the making, Thomas, executive director of Shasta Living Streets, said Tuesday morning. “I’m really excited to go from planning to doing and to really be able to provide things to people in the community.”

Shasta Bike Depot, on the southwest corner of California and Shasta streets, opens May 12 with a public launch party, a ribbon cutting and a keynote speech from Tony Taveras, director of the California Department of Transportation.

There will be an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. followed by the ribbon cutting and house party.

MarchFourth, a band from Portland, Oregon, will headline the community celebration that also will have food trucks, beer and wine.

Work on the bike depot will be almost finished by the time it launches. Project construction started in 2020.

“It is a launch party and it is not an 'everything is done' party,” Thomas said.

With support of the McConnell Foundation, Shasta Living Streets will operate the Shasta Bike Depot, which will feature a secure place for people to park their bikes, a bikeshare program, bike tours, a dedicated area to repair bikes and an outdoor courtyard the depot will share with the restaurant Pipeline Redding.

According to its mission, Shasta Living Streets nonprofit aims to build prosperous communities by creating better walkable and bikeable trails that are complemented by vibrant public spaces.

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Shasta Bike Depot and Pipeline are part of the $4.5 million Bell Plaza project by the McConnell Foundation. Bell Plaza sits on the former Bell Rooms property, a two-story brick structure built in 1908 that served as a brothel in the 1940s.

The repurposing of a former brothel into a transit center that will be a launching point to other downtown destinations and the area's trail network has the potential to be transformative for downtown, Thomas said.

Here three things to know about the project.

All-electric bikeshare a first north of Sacramento

By this summer, the Redding Bikeshare program will have a fleet of 70 electric bikes and 120 docking stations to recharge the bikes in and around downtown. The stations will be placed at about 25 locations.

Thomas said the bike share program will launch May 12, but it will not be fully phased in.

“As we hear from the community, we will figure out where (more of) the stations will go,” Thomas said.

She said the program will be the only all-electric bikeshare system located between Sacramento and Portland.

The bikeshare fleet will feature BCycles, a company owned by Trek. The bikes have adjustable seats, front and rear fenders, an enclosed bike chain that protects pant legs from being shredded, disc brakes, handlebar mounts for cell phones, integrated headlights, taillights and front baskets.

Shasta Living Streets is still working on what to charge for rentals. But daily, monthly or annual passes will be available for purchase.

All bikeshare rentals will begin and end at the docking, or recharging, station.

Depot bike parking will be secured

Housed inside the bike depot and called Shasta Bike Station, this will be Redding’s first secured public parking garage for bicycles, Thomas said.

The space has room for 24 traditional bikes and two large, or what Thomas calls delivery, bikes.

Users will be able to access the area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. BikeLink cards, which can be purchased for $20 by calling 530-355-2230, will give users access to the garage. Price to park is 5 cents per hour and bikes can be parked for up to 10 days.

The parking area will be under 24/7 video surveillance.

“The idea is there is nowhere for people to park bikes safely” right now, Thomas said.

Thomas said the bike garage will extend the reach of Redding’s public transit system. Users can park their bikes and then hop on a RABA or Greyhound bus, or Amtrak train, she said.

Pipeline opening delayed

Due to the weather and design updates, Pipeline Redding expects to open in the fall or winter of this year, McConnell Foundation Chief Operating Officer Shannon Phillips said.

“We are confident. The contractor, the architect, ourselves, Kevin (Flynn) from Pipeline, we are all in agreement that we are going to have the restaurant opened before the end of the year,” Phillips said.

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Flynn told the Record Searchlight in late 2022 that he had hoped to open this summer.

Pipeline Redding will be the second location for Flynn, who owns and operates Pipeline Craft Taps & Kitchen in Mount Shasta.

While Pipeline will complement Shasta Bike Depot, Thomas said she doesn’t mind that its opening won’t be for a few more months.

“I think it’s good for us to be doing different things at different times,” Thomas said. “There will be some time for people to bring some attention to the bike depot, and then when Pipeline opens, it will get the attention.”

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 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 'From planning to doing': Shasta Bike Depot opens downtown next month