###

The State of California’s massive firefighting agency, CalFire, wants to move its North Coast regional headquarters into the sleepy City of Rio Dell, which has long sought ways to boost economic development. Given the city’s struggles, you might expect its leaders to welcome such a big-time tenant with open arms, but city officials worry that the state’s plans could eliminate important opportunities for future development and tax revenues.

For decades, the city has looked at the 17.9-acre site – two adjoining parcels known locally as the “Todd Property” – as a “vital location” for future residential and commercial development in Rio Dell. The city has tried to buy the property from the Todd family at least three times over the last 40 years but, for one reason or another, negotiations never panned out. 

The state bought the property a year and a half ago with plans to relocate CalFire’s current North Coast headquarters in Fortuna, forcing the city to scrap its plans for the site. The city has asked if CalFire (and the state agency negotiating on its behalf, the California Department of General Services) would be willing to surplus a few acres at the south end of the site to help the city meet state-mandated housing requirements. But, so far, the state hasn’t budged.

“We believe that there is a win-win scenario for everybody here,” Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp told the Outpost during a recent phone interview. “I think it’s a great thing that CalFire wants to relocate to Rio Dell, but it limits [the city’s] opportunities. This [property] is about 75 percent of our available, commercially developable land. … I think there’s plenty of room for everybody to get everything that they want.”

If you look at an aerial view of the site, as shown in the map above, it’s easy to see why it’s such a hot commodity. It’s the biggest slab of vacant land in Rio Dell; it’s centrally located – just south of Davis Street between the heart of town and the west side of Highway 101; and it’s almost completely vacant, aside from a modest home with a garage and barn.

The city made its first attempt to buy the property back in 1985. At that time, city leaders wanted to transform the site into “Rio Dell Village,” a mixed-use development with a motel and restaurant. However, then-property owner Leroy Todd decided to back out of the deal “over a change in the development plan he was not informed about,” according to an overview of the site’s history.

The city tried to buy the property again in 2011. By that time, Leroy Todd had died and left the property to his daughter, Linda Todd. The city held a few community meetings to introduce the concept of “Rio Dell Plaza,” a proposal to turn the site into a town center. Former Rio Dell City Manager Ron Henrickson had “several meetings” with Linda Todd to negotiate the terms of the purchase but, again, negotiations failed.

Over the course of the next decade, the city kept in touch with the property owner and reworked its plans for the site. In January 2021, the city secured $225,000 in Regional Early Action (REAP) funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for design and pre-permitting. The rendering included plans for high-density multi-family housing, medium-density senior housing, commercial highway-serving uses, a new city hall, a police station and a library. 

In May 2021, Linda Todd said she would be willing to accept a proposal for the site, and the city had it appraised a few months later. Around that time, there were rumors of other interested buyers – such as Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), a firm interested in turning the property into a solar panel field, as well as a large private contractor – none of whom were affiliated with CalFire. 

The city was aware that CalFire was looking for land to build a new regional headquarters but, as far as Knopp knew, the state wasn’t looking at any properties around Rio Dell. “The first mention of CalFire’s interest in the property to me was [in] March 2022,” Knopp said. “Shortly thereafter, we met with the local Del Norte Humboldt Unit Chief [Kurt McCray]. It was clear at that time the state was looking at various other sites, other sites that seemed to be preferred.”

But knowing that CalFire had at least some interest in the site, Knopp asked whether the agency would be willing to surplus a portion of it — five to seven acres of the site — to help the city generate additional tax revenue. 

With the previously planned commercial development, the city was expecting to rake in more than $100,000 per year in transient occupancy tax [TOT] and sales tax revenues, according to an overview from the city.  CalFire’s plans, on the other hand, would result in only about $32,000 per year in property taxes – zilch in either sales tax or TOT revenues.

“This is significant for a City that is designated a severely economically disadvantaged community,” the city’s analysis says.

In a follow-up email exchange between several CalFire officials, obtained through a Public Records Act (PRA) request submitted by the City of Rio Dell, McCray was sympathetic to the city’s position on the matter but said, “I believe our purchase of the entire property would not align with the City’s vision.”

“In my opinion, all of their points were presented to find a workable solution while keeping as much City control in the development of the entire Todd Property,” McCray wrote in the Mar. 31, 2022 email. “I don’t fault them for their interest in the Todd Property, but Chief [Derrick] Misner and I believe that acquiring five to seven acres of the Todd Property would not allow the needed space for current and future Unit needs. … At this time, I believe it would be beneficial for some or all of you to meet with the City of Rio Dell to better explain our needs and consideration of the Todd Property.”

At the beginning of June 2022, the city submitted a $1.17 million offer – $200,000 over the appraised market value – to then-owner Linda Todd. The offer was rejected.

The state had the site appraised later that month and offered to buy the property for $1.82 million, which was accepted. The State Public Works Board approved the purchase request in March of 2023, and DGS closed the deal a month later.

After the property sale was approved, the city set up another meeting with CalFire and DGS to discuss its plans for the site. Once again, the city stressed the site’s economic significance and encouraged shared use of the parcel to help the city meet state-mandated housing requirements outlined in its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Knopp said that the city also asked for some mock-ups of the proposed facility but never heard back. 

“We’ve been a little disappointed and confused by the lack of communication coming from the state. We’ve had to have [state] Senator Mike McGuire and his staff intervene to get any dialog or communication going with the decision-makers at these two state agencies,” Knopp said. The city also sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office seeking assistance. “[DGS and CalFire are] continuing to insist that Rio Dell will be involved at some point in the future, but they don’t really clarify when that will be. I think their position really is to keep the local community out of the design process which, to me, is a bit of a red flag.”

The city got ahold of a trove of documents and emails relating to the project through a PRA request, which allows the public to request information from California government agencies. In a follow-up request submitted earlier this year, the city finally got to see a few preliminary renderings of the project and what appears to be a more finalized version, as seen below. (Click here for a more detailed version of the rendering.)

The site plan includes a fire station, administrative office, emergency command center, service center, auto shop, fitness and training facilities, as well as ample parking and storage for CalFire equipment. The draft plan also includes two acres of solar panels and 1.5 acres of stormwater retention basin. Under the current plan, existing buildings on the property would be demolished and the entire 17.9 acres would be paved over.

“We want to see a smarter development that is efficient with land use, not a big asphalt parking lot,” Knopp said, noting that all of the buildings on the site appear to be single-story. “When you look at the design, you know, it’s using every single nook and cranny … and really spreading the design out laterally as much as possible. To me, that’s not a good starting point.”

The site design should be finalized by March 2026, according to the project description found in this staff report. Construction is slated to begin in August 2026 and wrap up by April 2028. The entire project is expected to cost $57.4 million.

The Outpost contacted a CalFire spokesperson and Humboldt-Del Norte Unit Chief Kurt McCray for additional comment on the project but our inquiry was directed to DGS. Asked for a more general statement on the matter, the spokesperson reiterated that the project is under the authority of the state but said, “The growth of CAL FIRE, both in operational capacity and personnel staffing levels, as well as future growth, is a driving factor in the need for this move.”

Reached via email, DGS spokesperson Fallon Okwuosa emphasized that CalFire is “in the very early stages” of the planning process and said the city will have an opportunity to provide a formal comment on the project when it goes through the environmental review process. 

“While the city has asked for information, we informed them that the state had not yet begun any environmental reviews and was only beginning to work with our selected architect on basic site concepts,” Okwuosa told the Outpost. “The city elected to file [PRA] requests to receive highly conceptual, mock test fits of CalFire’s program at the site despite the project being in its earliest stages of development, and CalFire still determining what their needs are at the facility.”

Asked if the state would be willing to surplus a few acres of the property to the city, she reiterated that the “determinations about the utilization of the site are some time away.” In other words: It’s too soon to tell.

“CalFire is working with DGS and the selected architect to evaluate the department’s current needs,” she continued. “The project has not been provided with the seismic studies, geotechnical, and other design criteria to determine the configuration of the essential services facilities or usable land available and restrictions for buildings within the property.”

Okwuosa also disputed the assertion that the state has been unwilling to collaborate with the City of Rio Dell.

“The state is committed to being communicative with the city throughout the project’s lifecycle,” she said. “CalFire will continue to communicate through appropriate channels with the city in a public and professional way as we work to formalize the design process and have adequately assessed the property.”

While it may be too soon to work out some of the details of the project, Knopp emphasized the importance of respecting the people who live in Rio Dell.

“I think that this is a story that is told over and over again,” he said. “There is a history of large, bureaucratic organizations – both public and private – coming into this community and really not paying attention to or respecting the local community. … We believe that there is a win-win scenario here for everybody, but our obligation is to look out for the community of Rio Dell and its future interests, and we will continue to do that at every turn.”

Mayor Debra Garnes told the Outpost that she’s optimistic that the city and state will be able to find “something that works for everybody.”

“We’re not trying to be antagonistic; we’re just trying to make a case for surplus using the land,” Garnes said “I’d like to reiterate the fact that we want them here and we understand it is their land. The idea that we can all win and we can all benefit – that’s really what we are pushing forward. … It’s our job as city staff to do what’s best for our community. If we can share that space, I think it’ll be very, very good for everybody.”

###