CHICO — A long-vacant corner parcel just off Mangrove Avenue, nearly adjacent to Lindo Channel, is finally seeing some redevelopment action.
Race Communications, based in South San Francisco, purchased the lot, then demolished all buildings and infrastructure in preparation to build housing for internet and fiber-optic communication lines. City of Chico building officials issued four permits authorizing the company to begin work; the permits were dated Aug. 10, 2023.
The half-acre lot at 580 E. 10th Ave., at the northwest corner of East Lindo Avenue, was the home of a Gasamat filling station from the early 1970s until the early 2000s. The gas station’s service window — where customers could also buy cigarettes — was located in a converted house; the station offered discount prices with a very definite “no-frills” atmosphere. Even the pumps were of the older variety, with the analog dials showing the amount of fuel dispensed.
Gasamat, based in Longmont, Colo., approximately midway between Denver and Fort Collins, still has several locations in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. In fact, Gasamat was one of the forerunners in the self-serve gasoline industry, launching the first such operation in Colorado — in Loveland, about 15 miles south of Fort Collins — in 1965.
Self-service fueling began to advance as states relaxed their restrictions on the practice; those restrictions were based on the fear that careless customers would spill gasoline and risk causing fires. However, as the 1973-74 oil crisis caused gasoline prices to skyrocket, many consumers sought retailers offering lower prices. Self-serve stations were one solution and Gasamat offered motorists that advantage.
Following the Chico station’s closure, the roofs shielding the pump islands remained, as did the converted house and an adjacent garage-type structure. A barber shop and small-engine repair shop both operated in the location for a short time in the early 2010s, but after they closed, it appeared that all commercial activity at the address ceased.
Race Communications corporate officials did not return a phone call from a reporter requesting comments about the redevelopment. However, Race’s website claims the company “is the leading fiber internet provider in California.”
“Race Communications is dedicated to providing reliable, high-speed Internet and advanced communications at an affordable price. Working in partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission and many non-profit community advocacy groups, Race focuses on improving connectivity in communities that larger carriers have long ignored,” the website explains.
“We understand that broadband Internet access consists of two vastly different worlds between rural and urban areas, and we are working to bridge that gap every day. To date, Race has leveraged public grants and private investments totaling over $200 million. These funds advance broadband adoption and infrastructure deployment in unserved and underserved areas.”
The East 10th Avenue property is still surrounded by a chain-link construction fence and privacy screen, with an excavator parked near the corner. Two structures, each perhaps 12-by-20 feet, sit on concrete pads; a generator sits on another pad a few yards from each of the structures. The structures presumably house the communications cables.
There is still a considerable amount of ground available at the site for more construction, though it is not clear how much more will take place, or when. City permit documents do not indicate whether there will be an office on site.
