Plans have been submitted to the city of Redding to turn vacant land just north of Churn Creek Marketplace into a small housing development.
Churn Creek Commons would feature eight two-story duplexes on the east side of Churn Creek Road.
The subdivision is within walking distance of Churn Creek Marketplace, which features a Save Mart grocery store, Ross Dress For Less, and restaurants such as MOD Pizza, In-N-Out Burger, Lotus Thai and the soon-to-be-open El Pollo Loco.
All the houses would be 1,492 square feet with three bedrooms, an attached one-car garage and a fenced backyard.
Brad Garbutt, a Redding-based realtor, said he had not heard of the project, but thinks it’s in a good location, and it would help fill a need for more housing in the area.
“Just like the rest of California, we need housing. We under-built for decades,” Garbutt said.
“It’s a great location; it’s convenient for residents, next to a commercial area — talk about walkability. You can walk to the grocery store; you can walk to dining. It pushes all the buttons as far as being a desirable project,” he added.
J&L Custom Homes wants to rezone the property from residential multiple-family to residential multiple-family with a planned development designation. The contractor also has applied for a tentative subdivision map application.
The project was scheduled to go before the Redding Planning Commission on March 10, but the meeting was canceled because the commission lacked a quorum. The next meeting is scheduled for March 24.
Drew Morgan, an assistant planner with the city, said J&L Construction is based in Shasta County.
According to a staff report to the planning commission, Churn Creek Commons’ amenities would “include a small group gathering area with tables and benches, a walking path, and decorative streetlights. Uncovered parking spaces located in a common area along the private street will provide for the remaining required parking.”
The neighborhood would be part of a homeowners association. The HOA would be in place for, among other things, maintenance of the private road and sidewalk, community area, and landscaping within the neighborhood and along Churn Creek Road.
Garbutt said an investor could buy a duplex, live in one of the units and rent the other one out. Then the buyer could qualify for an owner-occupied investment loan, which traditionally offers better terms, including a lower interest rate and a lower downpayment.
“If you purchase a duplex and use an FHA loan and live on one side, we as a lender can consider it still to be a primary residence and it would require a 3.5% downpayment,” said Mandy Phillips, branch manager at Omega Mortgage Group in Redding. “And the really cool thing is we get to count 75% of the future rental income from the other unit (as monthly income) to help you qualify. … So with a lot of people it can help them qualify for a little bit more in the purchase price than they would qualify for otherwise.”
Garbutt also likes the fact that the project would be an in-fill development that takes advantage of vacant land along a busy city corridor.
“It’s a good use of the land. You’re creating a lot of units out of a very small piece of property,” Garbutt 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 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: New homes coming to area near Redding shopping center
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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