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City releases 289-page draft plan to transform Sunrise Mall

A visual shown in the city’s draft Specific Plan details various aspects of the plan to re-envision Sunrise Mall. (click here to enlarge)

Sentinel staff report–
After more than a year in the making, the City of Citrus Heights on Tuesday released a long-awaited draft “Specific Plan” detailing the city’s vision to revitalize the nearly 100-acre Sunrise Mall property.

The plan calls for an “eye-catching and iconic shade structure” of at least 24,000-square-feet in size to greet pedestrians entering a main event plaza off Sunrise Boulevard. Behind that structure would be a large 80,000-square-foot “Sunrise Commons,” which would be a main gathering hub, ideal for events, and would serve as the “heart” of the site.

View the draft plan: click here

The plan envisions creating a walkable “21st Century Main Street,” with five big ideas guiding the plan: creating an economic engine, livable neighborhoods, streets for people, connected green spaces, and making the site a “community and regional destination.”

The 289-page plan calls for tripling the development allowed at the site, with a maximum of 480 hotel rooms, 2,220 residential units, 320,000-square-feet of retail, 960,000-square-feet of office space, 450,000-square-feet of community/institutional uses, and 6,400 parking spots.

The Specific Plan is designed to guide redevelopment at the mall property, and will rely on finding private developers to put the plan into action. The plan defines six different planning areas, each with various sub-areas, and specific uses listed as permitted or not allowed.

For housing, the plan calls for both rental and owner-occupied residential, with “a variety of housing typologies, including town houses, stacked flats, apartments, and senior housing,” along with mixed-use residential above ground-floor buildings in a Main Street area. The plan says “developers are encouraged to provide units in a range of sizes, including studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom units, and at a range of price points.”

Phased development
The four-phase plan is projected to cost $818 million and take 20 years to be fully completed. The first phase is described as “ready to go” and would include redevelopment of the former Sears building to transform it into a “dining entertainment district” along with retail, a hotel, residential and open space.

The second phase would occur over 5-10 years and is anticipated to include redevelopment of Macy’s Mens as a “creative office campus,” along with retail, dining, an extended stay hotel, residential and a neighborhood park.

The third phase is envisioned to see redevelopment of the existing mall area as a “mixed-use Main Street,” including dining, retail, office, and residential, along with a full-service hotel and central open space for events. The final phase could include redevelopment of JCPenney and Macy’s Womens, but the city has previously said those parcels are independently owned, with the tenants expressing a desire to stay.

Economic projections
The plan, if fully built out, is projected to bring more than 3,400 permanent jobs and $500 million in taxes to the region over the first 20 years in operation, of which Citrus Heights would receive nearly $100 million. A fiscal impact report included in the plan shows a projected $18 million in property tax would be allocated to Citrus Heights along with $30 million in sales tax, and $51 million in hotel occupancy taxes.

The city’s projections are based on a city consultant’s analysis of the development scenario, with the 20-year total “starting at completion of build-out.”

The plan says the city “shall establish a reimbursement fee for Specific Plan and EIR creation, adoption and ongoing implementation costs [to] ensure developers contribute toward the city’s costs of implementing the Specific Plan.”

What’s Next?
According to the city’s “Sunrise Tomorrow” website, the next step is a public review period for the draft Specific Plan and associated 4,000-page environmental impact review (EIR). The plan and EIR will then be revised and final versions are then planned to be released for review and adoption by the City Council later this fall.

Editor’s Note: Various aspects of the mall’s Specific Plan will be detailed in future Sentinel articles, including a Green Loop Multi-Use Tail, an “Urban Agrihood” for growing local produce, an optional creek trail, and other features.

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