Buzz on the Street features Redding Record Searchlight’s David Benda
David Benda of the Record Searchlight brings you, our dear reader, what’s the buzz on businesses opening and closing in Redding and the North State.
- The project comes before the Redding Board of Administrative Review on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
- Barone’s Christmas Trees has operated a seasonal business on the property for nearly 20 years.
Plans have been submitted to the city of Redding for a credit union on a corner lot that for decades has been a popular holiday stop for Christmas tree hunters.
Rogue Credit Union wants to build a 4,000-square-foot branch with three drive-thru teller lanes on the southeast corner of Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane.
The project is scheduled to come before Redding’s Board of Administrative Review on Wednesday. The meeting starts at 2 p.m.
The corner lot has been vacant for 30-plus years.
Each year, around Thanksgiving, Christmas trees sprout up on the property. Since 2007, the property has been the seasonal home of Barone’s Christmas Trees.
Meanwhile, an announced merger in March between Rogue Credit Union and Members 1st Credit Union has for now left Rogue’s expansion into Redding in limbo.
“It’s up in the air, honestly, at this point,” Rogue Credit Union spokeswoman Krista Jantzer. “We have to get through this merger first, then we need to figure out how we are going to do to proceed with that property.”
Jantzer said Rogue Credit Union owns the property.
The merger is expected to be approved by state and federal regulators by the end of this year. If the deal goes through, Members 1st locations will be rebranded as Rogue Credit Union branches, Jantzer said.
Rogue Credit Union is based in Medford, Oregon, and has locations in southern Oregon and western Idaho. Members 1st has branches in Anderson, Chico and Redding. The merger would give Rogue Credit Union 29 full-service branches in three states.
Stan Barone Sr., of Barone’s Christmas Trees, said he has heard that plans are in the works for the property. He said before it sold to Rogue Credit Union, the property had been for sale for many years.
He moved the family’s tree lot to Shasta County from San Jose in 2005. They moved to their current location in ’07. Barone’s family has been in the Christmas tree lot business for more than 60 years.
“I’m not really sure about the future,” Barone said. “I know we are good for this year, but after that I am not sure.”
According to the plans, the Rogue Credit Union branch would be built on about 1.5 acres and the remaining .43 acres would remain undeveloped and be set aside as a gravel area for future development. That portion is on the south side of the parcel, closest to the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center.
“I could make that work,” Barone said when asked if his Christmas tree lot could operate on that portion of the property.
While Rogue Credit Union at this point is not certain it will build the project, Jantzer said they seek approval from the city so if they do decide to move forward they will have the entitlements in hand.
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 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
