Sentinel staff report–
The City of Citrus Heights announced Friday that an application was submitted last week that “lays out a footprint” for a potential hotel at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane.
“The proposed hotel land use at the 2.8-acre site supports the vision set forth in the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan to redevelop the 100-acre Sunrise Mall property into a mixed-use destination with multifamily residential, retail, entertainment, hospitality, office and community space,” the city said in its Oct. 14 announcement.
Specific details have not been released, and the application is the first step towards development of the site, with applicant Antioch Street Limited, LP, at this point only having submitted a tentative parcel map application. The city’s announcement said Antioch Street is in discussion with Presidio Companies, which has developed and operated hotels under Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott brands.
Presidio Managing Principal Guneet Bajwa said in a prepared statement included in the city’s announcement that “Citrus Heights has great market potential and the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan creates an opportunity for Presidio to tap into this key strategic location with the signature quality, destination-style product we are known for.”
City spokesman Elyjah Wilbur told The Sentinel that the application “requests subdivision of the existing parcel thereby creating new parcels that can be sold or leased for development.” He said the next steps will include “implementing entitlements such as a project design review application that lays out the specific site planning and architectural details, including the number of rooms and stories, amenities, landscape plans, elevations and branding.”
Wilbur also confirmed that the land use will not affect the US Bank at the corner of Sunrise and Greenback, with the hotel use proposed “for the surplus parking area of the eastern half of the parcel.”
Hotel plans have long been in the city’s vision for redeveloping Sunrise Mall, through its Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan to guide development.
Also on The Sentinel: 3-story apartment complex approved for vacant lot near Sunrise Mall
The Sentinel previously reported the 289-page plan for Sunrise Tomorrow was developed at a cost of over $1 million to the city. The city has also footed the bill for an extensive Environmental Impact Report in an effort to make the property “shovel ready” and as attractive as possible to developers.
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 four-phase plan is projected to cost $818 million, and take 20 years to be fully completed. Up to 2,200 multi-family residential units are included in the plan, along with 480 hotel rooms, 320,000-square-feet of retail, 960,000-square-feet of office/employment use, and 450,000-square-feet of community or institutional space.
The first phase aims to develop the unused parking areas over the next five years. The second phase is expected to incorporate office space, retail, dining, and an extended-stay hotel. The third and fourth phases include redeveloping the existing mall into a “21st Century Main Street.”
The City Council approved the Sunrise Tomorrow plan in November last year, with then-vice mayor Porsche Middleton calling the plan “bold,” “big,” and reflecting “the dreams of Citrus Heights.”
Related: City approves ‘bold, exciting’ plan to transform Sunrise Mall
