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LAKEPORT, Calif. — A major project to redevelop a property at a key entry point into the city of Lakeport while bringing more health options had its official launch on Wednesday.
The Lake County Tribal Health Consortium held an invitation-only “brick breaking” ceremony for the Vista Point Shopping Center on Wednesday morning, hosting tribal, city, county and community leaders.
True to its name, the event featured heavy equipment knocking down a front wall of a portion of the shopping center building that had once housed the Thrifty store but which for years has had no roof.
After the remainder of the asbestos is removed from the rest of the 98,000 square foot building, the entire structure will be demolished to make way for new development, Tribal Health leadership said.
It’s hoped that the project will be a blessing for generations to come.
“Today is a very special day,” not just for Tribal Health but for Lakeport and all of Lake County, said Ernesto Padilla, Tribal Health’s chief executive officer.
The plan Tribal Health has for the property includes the organization’s first mixed-use campus with retail. It will include new medical and administrative facilities, commercial space including retail and restaurants, and a bridge over Forbes Creek to connect it all to Tribal Health’s 11-acre main campus on Bevins Court.
Noting Lake County’s resilience in surviving floods, fires, a pandemic and political unrest, Padilla said their goal is to “move the dial” on the community’s health care.
Recalling the site’s history
Tribal Health purchased the nine acre site, located at 802 to 896 Lakeport Blvd., in 2024.
The shopping center, which sits at a key gateway into the city, was built in 1981.
Padilla and other speakers remembered the once-vibrant shopping center in its heyday decades ago, when it hosted a TG&Y, Thrifty, Montecito Market, a bank and a bowling alley.
District 4 Supervisor Brad Rasmussen said that for about 25 years the shopping center had been a hub of community activity. He said fellow supervisors EJ Crandell and Jessica Pyska also had their memories of it — Crandell recalling the ice cream at Thrifty and Pyska some flashy 1980s earrings she purchased at a store there.
Over time, however, Rasmussen said the shopping center deteriorated and became a shadow of its former self.
The city of Lakeport held the lease to the ground at the center, and in 2007 the Lakeport City Council decided to sell that lease.
After bids were submitted, the council sold the property’s lease for $1,001,000 to Matt Riveras, son-in-law of then-mayor Willis “Buzz” Bruns. The bid Riveras submitted was just $1,000 higher than the only other bidder, Superior Acquisitions. Riveras formed Donica LLC in October 2007 specifically to hold the property’s ownership.
Riveras told Lake County News in 2023 that he had spent years attempting to market the property.
At one point the Judicial Council of California had considered the site for its new Lakeport courthouse, but didn’t move forward because of the amount of money Riveras wanted for the site. Riveras said he had offered to sell them a three-acre portion of the property for $3 million, with the state only willing to pay $1.2 million for the property.
The new courthouse is now being built a short distance away at 675 Lakeport Blvd.
In late 2023, the city of Lakeport took a formal abatement action against Riveras due to the property’s condition.
Early in 2024, shortly after the city recorded the notice of nuisance filing on Donica LLC, City Manager Kevin Ingram told Lake County News that the city was made aware of the pending escrow with Lake County Tribal Health. After the sale was completed, Ingram said the city worked closely with Tribal Health to resolve the nuisance conditions.
Since then, Padilla and his team have been working on the project’s plan, with the firm Studio W completing plans and renderings.
Padilla said it’s now time to change the landscape.
Steve Rugg, Tribal Health's special projects manager, has overseen other major projects for the organization, including its Southshore Clinic which fully opened in May of 2023 in Clearlake.
Vista Point, Rugg said, is “the biggest project” yet — not just in size but also in scope and the opportunity that comes with it.
He said he told Padilla he would need help, so they are bringing in a new construction management firm. “Going forward is what this is all about.”
Rugg said the new development at Vista Point will resemble the Southshore Clinic. It will offer modern improvements and retail possibilities, including a restaurant or two, as well as the foot bridge connecting to the Bevins Court campus.
He said they will be moving into realms that Tribal Health hasn't been in before and that Vista Point will be turned into an interesting and provocative entry into Lakeport.
Rugg added that the project will put Tribal Health on the map like never before.
Community leaders like Rasmussen and Ingram were effusive in their praise of Tribal Health’s efforts.
Rasmussen lauded Tribal Health for its leadership, partnership and unwavering commitment to healthcare, and said as a result the site is getting a second chance that will improve the entire community through health, wellness and economic stability.
He added that the project shows what's possible when people work together toward a shared purpose.
Ingram called the new Vista Point a very creative and well-designed, thoughtful project, and he’s glad the viewshed will change.
“This is such a fantastic site,” said Ingram, adding that there are a lot of opportunities they’re not even fully aware of yet.
Ingram said he’s excited about the initial phase and what is to come, adding that he's tired of hearing about Lake County's low health scores.
The phases of work to come
Padilla told Lake County News that the work ahead is broken into key phases.
Phase 1A will include demolition of the main building, while the building that runs perpendicular to Lakeport Boulevard will remain, at least until a later phase of development.
He said keeping the building is due to their need for space. Tribal Health has 350 employees plus contractors at their campuses, with 200 in Lakeport alone. They plan to hire at least 100 more employees — for jobs ranging from clinical to administrative to fiscal — to backfill positions and expand.
That first development phase will include a new administrative building, Padilla said.
Padilla said Tribal Health has a master plan for development that takes into account all aspects of its properties.
That includes the wellness center on Craig Avenue, formerly known as Quail Run Fitness Center. Tribal Health purchased Quail Run in late 2023 and closed it to the public that December.
Phase 1A also involves revamping the northwest corner of the Quail Run property, which includes updating the physical therapy facility. Padilla said that, initially, the center will be open to Native American patients, with the goal of eventually being open to all 10,000 of Tribal Health’s patients, far surpassing the 200 to 300 memberships the health club had.
Phase 1B includes expanding pediatric and women’s health services, hiring more employees, and instituting more robust public and behavioral health efforts, Padilla said.
Padilla said Phase 1A is expected to have a 30-month time frame. So far, there is no time frame for Phase 1B.
Asked why they didn’t attempt to rehabilitate the existing structure, Padilla said they had to start again due to the structure’s condition, including its infrastructure above and below ground, and the fact it was built over a portion of Forbes Creek. Those conditions, he said, called for full demolition.
He said the cinder blocks that make up much of the building to be demolished will be crushed and used for road base.
“It was an opportunity to start fresh,” Padilla said.
Padilla plans to make presentations to the Lakeport City Council and the Board of Supervisors in the months to come regarding the project.
While federal legislation and actions are raising concerns across sectors including health, Padilla said their project so far hasn’t been impacted by tariffs.
Tribal Health’s operations have a measure of protection due to safeguards for Indian Health Service funding and its reimbursement rate, he said.
However, the federal legislation will impact eligibility of non-Native American patients, and Padilla said they’re waiting to see what the state will do in response.
“Just because Medicaid is getting cut doesn't mean people don't need the services,” Padilla said.
Padilla said Tribal Health is committed to protecting two longtime residents of the property in response to overwhelming community demand.
Those residents are Harold and Maude, the osprey pair who make their home in a large nest perched atop the Vista Point Shopping Center sign.
Padilla said Tribal Health received hundreds of comments of concern about the pair on its Facebook page.
Osprey pairs are known to remain together for years and to return to the same nest annually.
On Wednesday, Harold and Maude appeared to be watching the event with interest.
Padilla said they will be able to stay in their high-altitude home on top of the sign.
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