One of the last surviving gray pine/oak woodlands along Airport Road will soon disappear. A 250,000 sq. ft. warehouse will be constructed on the 39-acre site and 890 trees will be cut down and most will likely end their life in one big burst of CO2 at Wheelabrator in Anderson. There is one gray pine 54” in diameter and a 33-inch-wide oak tree among many 40+” diameter gray pines. Almost every tree will be removed based on the landscaping plans. (The Planning Department has not responded to SEA’s request to see if more than eight trees will be saved.)
The developer will be required to plant 129 replacement trees, almost all natives and the landscaping will be done using native plants, which is new for Redding. However, it will take perhaps 100 years for the trees to grow and replace even 15% of the sequestered CO2, and the habitat is permanently lost.
CEQA requires the cumulative effects of development to be taken into consideration in mitigation. Since SEA’s founding in 2017 we have never seen an Environmental Impact Report done for any project on Airport Road. This was going to the Board of Administrative Review (BAR), but following complaints to several City insiders it has not appeared on its agenda. Because of its size, SEA feels it should be heard by the full Planning Commission. The project can be found on the Planning website under Airport Road Distribution Center. Comments can be sent to Planning Manager Lily Toy at ltoy@cityofredding.org.
Wintu Audubon and the California Oak Coalition have also opposed the weak mitigation measures.