Shirts on display at the new Whatsupstairs secondhand store at 7134 Auburn Blvd. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A new thrift store has opened just around the corner from the former Goodwill location at Sylvan Corners in Citrus Heights.
Whatsupstairs secondhand store employee Mark Holmes said Goodwill closed its doors three days after the new thrift store opened. Holmes called the occurrence a “coincidence” and said the store has been “doing very well,” even with limited advertising.
The store sells an eclectic range of items, including new and used furniture, antiques, and collectables. It also features the usual general thrift store fare, including clothes, shoes, artwork, and books. A variety of large pieces of artwork and multiple unique t-shirts hang on the walls and in windows throughout the store.
Whatsupstairs owner Anthony Iacolino said the store previously operated in a 1,500-square-foot space in Carmichael which was not open to the public. The store acquired furniture and antiques from storage units and estate sales to sell online. Iacolino said when everyone decided they no longer wanted to sell online, he and Holmes then sought out a new, larger location to open to the public.
Holmes told The Sentinel the store opened eight weeks ago, and when the store first opened, many local residents began donating more thrift store merchandise. The surge in donations led the store to negotiate with the landlord to acquire a smaller building next door, situated between the thrift store and the former Goodwill location, to create a space for storing and sorting the donated items.
Iacolino said he wanted to get away from the corporate model of Goodwill stores, and that he wants to provide a place where the community can “find the best deals.”
Whatsupstairs is located at 7134 Auburn Blvd., in Citrus Heights.
The corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend the City Council approve the subdivision of a 2.8-acre lot at Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, which lays out a “footprint” for a potential hotel.
If subsequently approved by the City Council, the subdivision will allow the existing US Bank to remain on an existing 0.93-acre parcel while allocating 1.48 acres for a future hotel development as well as a 0.38-acre parcel anticipated for retail or restaurant use.
The original subdivision request to subdivide the US Bank parcel map was submitted in October 2022, according to application data online.
“The project is consistent with and is really our first step in our Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan,” Community Development Director Casey Kempenaar said during his May 22 presentation of the parcel map.
The potential hotel footprint may not be the exact layout, Kempenaar said, but the outline would allow for the accommodation of a hotel with up to 110 rooms.
In addition to the parcel map, the Planning Commission approved an included development agreement between the developer and the city to facilitate communication between both parties and ensure that milestones are understood and documented. The development agreement includes necessary right-of-way permissions, provides for infrastructure upgrades, sets operating standards for the future operator of the hotel, and includes provisions to ensure that it remains a hotel for at least 25 years.
For the development of a future hotel, a design permit would need to be formally submitted to the city for review.
Commissioner Thomas Scheeler noted that he’d heard rumors of a major remodel occurring at the US Bank location, which is being subdivided. Lot owner Patrick Ellwood, President of Ellwood Commercial Real Estate, confirmed that plans for a major improvement project at the US Bank had been planned and that he had delayed the hearing on the approval of the proposed subdivision to avoid any potential conflicts. Plans for a bank remodel abruptly fell through, and Ellwood said as soon as he found out, he “accelerated” the process of bringing the subdivision proposal up for review.
Ellwood Commercial Real Estate’s attorney added that US Bank currently has a long-term lease, and the real estate company supports any major renovation project that might occur at the bank in the future. Ellwood’s attorney also said the subdivision development plan was “designed to work around the bank” and they want to push for a hotel first before addressing the development of the third, smaller lot.
Commissioner Andrew Van Duker expressed concern over the lack of parking in the proposed hotel footprint. Ellwood responded that the city and Planning Commission will have “multiple” opportunities to review specific project designs by different potential hotels and that parking will be addressed “over time.”
Kempenaar also said parking is shared throughout the entire site as part of a reciprocal easement agreement. As well, Assembly Bill 2097 prohibits the city from enforcing minimum parking standards within one-half mile of any public transit station.
Ellwood and his attorney expressed that they are “looking forward to this opportunity” and praised city staff, saying working with the city has been “totally harmonious,” which he added was not his experience elsewhere.
The motion passed unanimously and will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval. Chair Natalie Price was absent. A draft agreement included in the Planning Commission’s agenda packet indicates the item will come before the City Council on June 27, 2024. To view the most up-to-date City Council agendas, visit the city’s website here.
A home at 5617 Kingswood Drive sold for $800,000 // S. Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath home on Kingswood Drive recently sold for $800,000 after dropping in price by $50,000, according to Trulia, a real estate listing site.
At its original listing price of $849,000, the expansive 3,600-square-foot home on a third-of-an-acre in Citrus Heights was listed at a price significantly higher than the median home price in the area. The home sold on May 6, according to online records.
Sacramento-area residential appraiser and housing market analyst Ryan Lundquist told The Sentinel last month that median housing prices in Citrus Heights for the month of March were approximately $490,000, and homes sold had an average square footage of 1,419 feet. Lundquist added that, while the median price affects the going rate in the market, what is actually selling can in turn “greatly influence” the median price.
On average, homes in the immediate area of Kingswood Drive have sold for between $500,000 and $700,000. A home on the same street, with a smaller footprint, sold for $730,000 in 2023.
According to Trulia.com, the home located on 5617 Kingswood Drive sold on May 6 for $800,00 and was previously sold in November 1999 for $270,000. The home was originally built in 1962.
A vacant building at 8501 Auburn Blvd. is proposed to become a church. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– An area Ukrainian church has submitted architectural plans for their newly acquired 50,500-square-foot commercial space on Auburn Boulevard, according to the city. Previously, Studio Movie Grill had once planned to occupy the space.
Spring of Life Church purchased the vacant building for $3.95 million last fall, according to prior reports. Online documents show that the church design includes a worship center that can accommodate up to 950 people, a children’s Sunday School section that can accommodate 370 children, and additional meeting spaces, office spaces, and a café.
Additionally, the church plans to turn a 4,892-square-foot retail space adjacent to the proposed church building into a children’s indoor play facility that would accommodate up to 150 people and would be open six days a week.
“The church remodel aims to create a dynamic and inclusive space that not only serves as a place of worship but also as a community hub,” the church wrote in initial plans submitted to the city. A representative of Spring of Life Church declined to provide further comment on the architectural plans under review but told The Sentinel that the church’s tentative opening date is in the year 2026.
“Citrus Grove Shopping Center is an important anchor of our Auburn Blvd. commercial corridor,” Citrus Heights Economic Development and Community Engagement Director Meghan Huber told The Sentinel, adding that the city hopes the plaza will achieve full occupancy and generate economic activity that “benefits all adjacent businesses.” The city confirmed that Spring of Life has applied for Use and Design Review permits, and the design is under review at this time.
The building is located at 8501 Auburn Blvd. and was previously home to a Kmart until 2016. Studio Movie Grill then submitted plans for the building, but the project was officially abandoned in 2021 amid the company’s bankruptcy filing in 2020.
An adjacent portion of the building, once home to Big Lots from April 2019 to January 2023, was not included in Spring of Life’s acquisition. No applications have been submitted for the former Big Lots building, the city said.
Phase 2 of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project, which was finalized and approved by the City Council on May 9, will include significant revitalization in front of the Citrus Grove shopping center, including the installation of new medians, new landscaping, and a new turn signal south of Whyte Avenue, which will allow for safer turning into and out of area businesses and allow for pedestrians to easily and safely cross from one side of Auburn Boulevard to the other.
Spring of Life currently lists an address of 5948 Pecan Ave., in Orangevale, and its website shows five service times on Sundays, including one in English.
Red Lobster in Citrus Heights located at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane. // SB Williams
Updated May 21, 7:48 p.m.–
By Sara Beth Williams– Red Lobster at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane has been spared from a string of almost 90 restaurant closures across the country.
Amid national and local news reports of Red Lobster shuttering locations in 27 states, including a location in Sacramento, the Citrus Heights Red Lobster located at 6231 Sunrise Blvd. is still listed as open on their website. A phone call to the restaurant on May 21 confirmed the Citrus Heights location is still open.
Red Lobster has remained a stable fixture near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, in a plaza that has seen several tenants leave and new tenants take over neighboring sites throughout the past decade.
The building housing Red Lobster on Sunrise Boulevard has also been listed for sale on LoopNet, a commercial real estate site, for $7.57 million. Glen Kunofsky with NNN Pro Group could not be reached for comment before press time regarding how long the business has been listed for sale.
Out of 38 locations in California, six are listed as temporarily closed, according to the restaurant’s website. Some news outlets have also reported that multiple Red Lobster locations are liquidating all their kitchen equipment and other restaurant contents this week.
According to the restaurant’s website, Red Lobster is known for its fresh seafood dishes and has over 700 locations operating across the country as well as several international franchises. The first Red Lobster opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida.
The restaurant chain was reportedly considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to restructure debts according to Bloomberg News. On Tuesday, the restaurant confirmed that news in a posting on Facebook, clarifying that bankruptcy is “often misunderstood,” noting that the company is restructuring rather than going out of business.
By Sara Beth Williams– The Auburn Boulevard Business Association is hosting a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, following a lengthy pause in activity.
The local business association had been inactive for over a year following the retirement of President Richard Hale at the end of 2022. Hale had been with the association since its inception in 2016.
Previously, former Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director and ABBA co-chair Diane Ebbitt-Riehle had been advocating for the continuation and revitalization of the business association. Ebbitt-Riehle told The Sentinel in January that she didn’t expect businesses to be interested in revitalizing the association until Phase 2 of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project began.
Nearly ten years after the first phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project was completed, the Citrus Heights City Council gave the green light for construction to begin on the second phase of revitalization for Auburn Boulevard in a May 9 City Council meeting.
Three community leaders are expected to speak at the upcoming ABBA meeting, including new Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheri Merrick, Citrus Heights Economic Development and Community Engagement Director Meghan Huber, and Sergeant Seth Cimino with the Citrus Heights Police Department.
Organizer Dan Howes stated that the purpose of the meeting is to “work together with the other businesses on the Auburn corridor to increase our resources, visibility, and security.” Howes is the owner of Good Hands Massage on Auburn Boulevard.
The event will be held Tuesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes, located at 7901 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.
The 99 Cents Only Store on Greenback Lane has officially closed. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A vacant parking lot and closed building is now all that remains at the former 99 Cents Only store on Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights.
On Saturday, May 18, Sentinel staff found the store deserted, with no lights on. No sign was posted at the entrance indicating an official closing date.
Adjacent businesses told The Sentinel that they suspected the business closed one or two weeks ago. The Sentinel was not able to confirm an official closing date.
Previously, management at the Citrus Heights 99 Cents Only Store told The Sentinel that the location was expected to close by June 3. Further questions about the impact the local store closure would have on the community were referred to the store’s corporate office for comment.
The company announced the imminent closure of all 371 store locations across California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas on April 5. The news release stated the company entered into an agreement with Hilco Global to liquidate all merchandise.
“This was an extremely difficult decision,” 99 Cents Only Stores Interim Chief Executive Officer Mike Simoncic told news outlets in the initial announcement.
The April 5 announcement was met locally with mixed reactions from residents, with several local commenters online citing the rise of minimum wage as a catalyst for the closure while others expressed surprise over the announcement.
Founded in 1982, 99 Cents Only Stores carries “a broad assortment of name brand and other attractively priced merchandise and compelling seasonal product offerings,” the release said.
Along with its location in Citrus Heights, the 99 Cents Only Stores operated multiple locations in Sacramento, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Roseville.
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Jessica Tillery, owner of All Quality Graphics started printing faith-based T-shirt designs as a passion project she calls the Love Unstoppable Movement. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
After more than a decade running a successful screen printing business, Jessica Tillery wanted to give back to the community through a passion project that aims to bring some light into people’s lives.
Tillery started All Quality Graphics in 2013 using space in her garage, she said in an interview last month. Fast forward a decade later and her business now occupies a 10,000-square-foot commercial building at 8048 Auburn Blvd. Tillery uses some of that production capacity to create T-shirts with inspiring messages.
Known as L.U.M. and pronounced loom, Tillery said the Love Unstoppable Movement began as part of her overall goal of giving back to the community. All Quality Graphics also donates a portion of their profits to local charities.
One of the few Citrus Heights-based businesses in the manufacturing sector, All Quality Graphics can churn out about 700 shirts each hour at peak production, Tillery said. The company typically produces shirts for construction businesses, churches, and schools, but Tillery manages to fit quarterly batches of the faith-based shirts in the production schedule.
“I really wanted to use our resources as a merchandising company to give back to the community, to lift our industry, to glorify God, and really, just to make an impact,” Tillery said.
With what she called “amazing resources” and an “incredible team,” Tillery started producing T-shirts with faith-based messages in 2019. Customers subscribe to receive the printed shirts without knowing what the design will be until they receive the package in the mail.
“It’s kind of a surprise factor and it’s something to just uplift them,” Tillery said noting the messages are always faith or love driven. “The initial goal with it was for somebody to get a package that changes their day. Maybe they’re going through a hard season in their life, whether it’s divorce or losing a loved one or just having a crappy day. The whole point was to really just have them get that package and realize, wow, in the grand scheme of things, I’m still blessed. “
Now with just over 500 subscribers, the messages seem to be hitting home for some. One of the Love Unstoppable Movement slogans has been “Be a lighthouse, not a tugboat,” and that slogan changed the life of a woman seeking shelter through St. John’s Program for Real Change, Tillery said.
The organization helps women who are in a difficult situation find housing, child care, and job skills, according to their website. Saint John’s Program for Real Change administrators told Tillery they planned to give the slogan to the women in their program to use as an essay prompt.
One of those essays from a woman named Rosalyn described how the slogan gave her hope, Tillery said.
“She shared this two-page letter of what it meant to her, and I read it and I was just sobbing. It was unbelievable,” Tillery said.
Later, Tillery received a note from Rosalyn thanking her for the T-shirt slogan.
“A few months after we released that shirt, she wrote to me and said that that slogan pretty much changed her life and set her up for all these different things that change her life,” Tillery said.
Additionally, Tillery said she has received feedback from subscribers saying that wearing faith-based slogans makes them more conscience of their own attitudes and behaviors.
“That’s kind of our hope is that people will practice grace and just be more loving and kind,” she said.
According to the organization’s website, LUM’s mission is “To make the world a better place one plastic water bottle at a time, one dignified wage at a time, one positive message at a time, one t-shirt at a time.” The organization says each shirt is made from six recycled plastic bottles, with a portion of each subscription being donated to a different local charity every month.
Citrus Heights labeled apparel at Walgreens shows an incorrect date for the city’s founding. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Recent apparel on display at a Citrus Heights Walgreens proudly supports the city, but with an incorrect date.
A rack of shirts at the Dewey Drive and Greenback Lane location read “Citrus Heights, Since 1776,” while the city’s well documented incorporation was Jan. 1, 1997.
Pennsylvania-based Ohiopyle Prints produced the shirts, and spokeswoman Laurie Crosby said the error was an oversight that the company will correct. The company supplies locally branded shirts to about 10,000 cities across the country, she said.
Crosby said the company has reached out to both Walgreens locations to return the incorrectly dated shirts and offered to print new designs with an accurate date, but each location is responsible for placing a new order.
The company works with local store managers as much as possible through their My Town Originals program to develop ideas for locally branded apparel, Crosby said. Ohipyle Prints also produces T-shirts for schools with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the school.
Walgreens has previously offered locally themed products such as Citrus Heights-Opoly, a Monopoly based board game with locations named for local landmarks. The game was also available at the Dewey Drive and Greenback Lane location along with Citrus Heights branded hats and shirts.
City records show the earliest European settlements in the area date back to the mid 1800s. The area was used for mostly agricultural purposes until the 1960s and 70s when a housing boom fueled by nearby Aerojet and Mather and McClellan Air Force bases created the largely suburban neighborhoods.
A 12-year court battle culminated with a vote in November, 1996, when voters approved incorporation. Citrus Heights officially became a city on Jan. 1, 1997, records show.
Auburn Boulevard is slated to receive a visual overhaul, from Rusch Park to the Roseville border. // M. Hazlip
By Sara Beth Williams– Nearly ten years after the first phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project was completed, the Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday gave the green light for construction to begin on the second phase of revitalization for Auburn Boulevard.
In a May 9 City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve awarding a construction contract to George Reed, Inc. for $28.9 million. The council also unanimously approved contracts for construction management and design support services.
“It’s a miracle, but it has arrived,” Mayor Bret Daniels said before approving the final construction contracts. Councilmember Tim Schaefer added that funds for the project have been built into the budget “for years.”
The planned revitalization project extends from Rusch Community Park down to the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Orlando Avenue and includes widening lanes and adding bike lanes, undergrounding utilities, storm drain upgrades, new landscaping and trees, new roadway medians, decorative street lighting, updated re-striping, crosswalks and transit stops, and a custom gateway arch welcoming drivers into Citrus Heights.
The city also said a new traffic signal will be installed south of Whyte Avenue, allowing for safer turning maneuvers into and out of shopping centers on the corridor, as well as allowing pedestrians to safely cross from one side of Auburn Boulevard to the other.
General Services Director Regina Cave commended City Engineer Leslie Blomquist and other engineers on the project, saying that bringing the project to this point while simultaneously working on multiple other city projects was “a huge feat.”
The long-awaited revitalization of Auburn Boulevard is projected to cost $35.5 million, according to the City. $25.9 million in grant funding has already been secured for the project, including several grants from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), grants from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Self-Generation Incentive Program and the Active Transportation Program, a Placer-Sacramento Gateway Corridor grant, and a Smart Green Incentive Program grant.
In addition, the city indicated two different utility districts will be reimbursing the city an estimated amount of $1.1 million for construction that will be completed on behalf of the districts during the Complete Streets Project.
On May 9, the City Council also approved entering into a contract with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which will secure another $1.3 million in financial support from SMUD’s System Enhancement Program for the purpose of undergrounding utilities. According to the city, in addition to the $1.3 million, SMUD will be providing an estimated $1.4 million in labor and materials toward the project at no cost to the city.
Lastly, $7 million in various local funds will go toward the project to cover the total cost.
Previous plans to begin revitalization along Auburn Boulevard earlier in the year stalled due to construction bids for the project coming in at almost $10 million over budget.
In an effort to decrease the cost of the project, modifications were made to the original bid package, including removing temporary traffic controls, which will minimize labor costs and result in allowing 24-hour lane closures while the work is active, and reducing the number of storm drain replacements. As well, the city anticipates coordinating with SMUD to modify backfill requirements for underground trenching.
File photo: Council members, business owners and other elected officials gathered to celebrate the completion of ‘Phase 1’ of Auburn Boulevard improvement work, in July 2014.
The Boulevard Plan, adopted in 2005, set the framework for developing the Auburn Boulevard corridor from Sylvan Corners to the northern city limits. The Auburn Boulevard Project is the city’s largest public works project, with Phase 1 (Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park) completed in 2014. The second phase of the project was anticipated to begin in 2021, but that date has been pushed back several times.
