Gastropub coming to Redding Bell Plaza is a 'better project than we had ever anticipated'

Pipeline Redding, a gastropub in the new Bell Plaza, will open this fall, more than two years after news broke that the popular Siskiyou County restaurant was expanding to downtown Redding.

“We can assure you that Pipeline will open this fall and when I say this fall, we hope well before the holidays. So, we mean fall, not winter, and we are feeling comfortable about that timeline,” McConnell Foundation Chief Operating Officer Shannon Phillips recently told the Record Searchlight.

Bell Plaza is a $10 million McConnell Foundation project that sits at the southwest corner of Shasta and California streets. Pipeline will share the space with Shasta Bike Depot, which opened last year and is operated by Shasta Living Streets.

The Bike Depot is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. The depot operates the Redding Bike Share program. In about a month, the depot is expected to open a secured public parking garage for bicycles called Shasta Bike Station.

Ann Thomas, executive director of Shasta Living Streets, said it has started recruiting for employees to help at the depot. More information can be found at shastalivingstreets.org or by calling 530-355-9434.

Change of concept pushed back Pipeline work

Phillips said one reason the restaurant portion of the project has taken so long is the vision changed. Originally, the foundation wanted a café to complement the Bike Depot, a place where people could enjoy quick snacks or some grab-and-go food while biking or walking around Redding.

But when the Redding-based philanthropic organization inked Pipeline, they pivoted to designing a full-service restaurant with a bar that serves beer and wine.

McConnell and its contractor, Modern Building, also are working with restaurateur Kevin Flynn, who’s juggling the day-to-day duties of operating a restaurant in Mount Shasta, Pipeline Craft Taps & Kitchen.

“We started with a shell café for an unknown operator. When we were able to secure Kevin for the site, then we really identified what the restaurant needs to be, so we really transferred from a café experience to this full-service restaurant,” Phillips said. “At the end of the day, we are building a way better project than we had ever anticipated.”

Pipeline Redding will feature downstairs and upstairs seating. The upstairs will have an outdoor patio that faces the east and looks over the Bike Depot courtyard.

The patio will have misters to keep customers cool in the summer and outdoor heaters for the colder months. said Lesley Jessee, community vitality/program officer for the McConnell Foundation.

The upstairs also will be available for private parties and events.

Jessee said the restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, but in the beginning it will probably be open five days as it acclimates to the downtown area and works out any kinks that pop up.

Flynn and his business partner Mark Clure opened Pipeline Craft Taps & Kitchen in Mount Shasta in 2019.

History of Bell Plaza property

Bell Plaza sits on the former Bell Rooms property. The two-story building that was there before Bell Plaza dated back to 1908 and later found itself situated in Redding’s red-light district near the railroad tracks.

The McConnell Foundation purchased the Bell Rooms property from the Redding Area Bus Authority around 2020.

Work started in May 2021 on repurposing the former brothel property into a bike and pedestrian transit center along the new Diestelhorst to Downtown Trail, which connects the Sacramento River Trail with downtown.

Modern Building’s Gary Fowler, who is the project manager, said some 9,000 bricks from the Bell Rooms were repurposed into Bell Plaza.

Inside, the cedar ceiling was recently completed. On a recent weekday, Joe Dominguez of E-Z Painting was perched on a construction lift doing some accent painting around the ceiling.

“Right now, what we are really focusing on is all the interior work, so it’s not so visible to the public,” Phillips 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: This downtown Redding restaurant will finally open later this year