Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights kicked off the first month of 2020 by welcoming two tenants to fill several large vacant commercial properties, and more have announced plans to open in the city later this year.
First to open on Jan. 27 was the long-anticipated opening of Hobby Lobby at the former Toys R Us building on Greenback Lane. The 41,000-square-foot building closed in mid-2018 as part of the nationwide closure of Toys R Us stores.
A ribbon cutting for the new Hobby Lobby was held outside the store on opening day, attended by city officials and others. Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost, who was among those who attended, said in a post on social media that residents now “don’t have to go all the way out to Roseville when you want to go!”
Boston’s Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar also opened in January, initially targeting an opening date earlier in the month but eventually opening on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The restaurant takes up the former Logan’s Roadhouse location at 5511 Sunrise Blvd., which has been vacant since early 2017.
The restaurant features an extensive menu, from chicken fingers to pizza and hamburgers, along with televisions wrapping around the restaurant’s dining and bar areas for sports fans to catch the latest games.
Hours of operation for Boston’s Pizza are Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Hobby Lobby is open six days a week, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is closed Sundays.
Other businesses that have announced 2020 openings include Studio Movie Grill at the former Kmart building on Auburn Boulevard and Dos Rios Tacqueria at 6970 Sunrise Blvd.
Related: Studio Movie Grill moving forward with planned 2020 opening in Citrus Heights
Three other restaurants have also previously announced plans to open in Citrus Heights, but visible progress at the sites appears stalled: California Quick Slice at 7766 Auburn Blvd., Checker’s drive-thru outside Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes, and Chando’s Tacos at Sylvan Corners.
Q&A: Will plans for that pizza drive-thru in Citrus Heights ever become a reality?
Tenants at the new 8,800-square-foot building being constructed outside Walmart and Costco on Auburn Boulevard are also expected to be announced this year. Several future tenants are listed on the developer’s website, but The Sentinel was not able to confirm the accuracy of that listing with the city or the property’s leasing agent.
Blaze Pizza was initially listed on the developer’s website as a future tenant, but a company spokesman told The Sentinel last month that there were no plans to open a new franchise at the site. The pizza chain has since been removed from the list.
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