A new Ace Hardware store is slated to open later this year at 8079 Madison Ave., in Citrus Heights. // Image credit: Google Maps
Sentinel staff report–
Ace Hardware, which opened more than 150 stores last year, is reportedly expanding its footprint to Citrus Heights this year.
The Sacramento Business Journal reported Friday that an Ace Hardware franchisee is planning to open a 14,200-square-foot store at 8079 Madison Ave. later this year. The store will be located on the border of Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks, near the corner of Madison Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.
According to The Journal, the location has been vacant for about six years, with its most recent tenant being Beverly Fabrics. The new store will be called Miller’s Ace Hardware, after franchise owner Jessica Greenfield’s son.
The store will take up the anchor spot at the Almond Orchard shopping plaza. The center is owned by Sacramento-based Ray Stone Inc., according to The Journal. Other tenants include a pastry shop and a hair salon.
Ace Hardware has more than 5,600 locally owned stores in all 50 states and 65 countries. Its latest third quarter revenues for 2022 were $2.2 billion, up 10 percent from the same quarter in 2021, according to a Nov. 16 news release from the company.
Rangoon Grocery Store is slated to open at 7601 Sunrise Blvd., in Citrus Heights. // S. Williams
By Sara Beth Williams–
Rangoon Grocery Shop is coming to the corner of Old Auburn Road and Sunrise Boulevard in the same parking lot as the Safe Credit Union, according to store owner PoPo Oo. The grocery shop will offer primarily Asian food products.
During a visit last week by Sentinel staff, nearby businesses reported seeing activity going on within the store, but none had any knowledge of a planned opening date. Signage is already on display, but shelves are only partially filled, as of a Feb. 22 visit by Sentinel staff. Oo said in a Feb. 20 interview that he and his wife hope to open the store within the next two weeks.
When asked about what inspired the opening of an Asian market, the grocery shop’s owner said he and his wife “found no other Asian shops in this centralized area” and wanted to provide Asian groceries for the local neighborhood.
The location at 7601 Sunrise Blvd. was formerly home to the Citrus Mart convenience store, which shuttered during the pandemic.
The shopping plaza is also home to a donut shop, coffee drive-thru, wellness center, dry cleaners, and other businesses. The plaza most recently welcomed Dollar N’ More in December.
By Mike Hazlip—
New proposed regulations could limit the number of massage establishments in Citrus Heights.
The city is holding a community open house on Wednesday, March 1 at 4 p.m. to consider updating regulations to limit the number of massage parlors to one licensed location for every 3,400 residents, according to information posted to the city’s website.
The proposed change comes amid what the city says is nearly a 100 percent increase in the number of massage parlors since 2019. The aim of the proposal is to address “the potential for unlawful activity that impacts surrounding neighborhoods and the potential for human trafficking to occur in massage establishments,” the city says.
The proposal would cap the number of establishments to 25 parlors allowed in the city for an estimated population of over 86,000 residents, according to the announcement. There are 26 licensed locations currently, according to the city.
A Feb. 17 draft of the ordinance titled “Massage Establishment Licensing Law of the city of Citrus Heights,” details the provisions and intent of the measure.
The open house will be held at City Hall and the city is encouraging anyone with an interest in the proposed changes to attend.
Current city ordinance requires massage establishments to be licensed and staffed by California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) certificate holders. Businesses looking to open a massage parlor must provide a total of eight documents including the CAMTC certificate and identification card, and a copy of a valid and current driver’s license or identification card.
The Sentinel previously reported the city temporarily banned new massage permits in 2014 out of similar concerns over human trafficking and prostitution.
According to a 2019 report by ABC10, the City of Sacramento developed an ordinance aimed at curbing massage parlors that serve as a front for prostitution, often forcing workers to live on the premises.
The Sacramento Bee reported at least one third of Sacramento’s 200 massage parlors are offering illegal sexual conduct between workers and customers.
A large three-story office building at 6060 Sunrise Vista Drive is being sold. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
It isn’t every day that a 100,000-square-foot building comes up for sale in Citrus Heights, but a three-story office building near Sunrise and Fair Oaks boulevards has already found a buyer.
The listing for 6060 Sunrise Vista Drive on commercial real estate site LoopNet shows the building is under contract, and commercial realtor Patrick Ronan of Gallelli Real Estate told The Sentinel the new owner intends to bring in new tenants to the property.
Ronan could not discuss the final price until the sale closes, but the list price sits at $7.1 million, according to LoopNet. The 101,873 square-foot building is 72 percent leased and sits on six acres of land, with 540 parking spaces.
The building was constructed in 1978 and renovated 10 years later, according to the listing. Available suites inside include spaces as small as 433-square-feet to as large as 10,600 contiguous square feet.
Ronan said the buyer has a tenant in mind that is in the medical sector, but could not give further details.
The commercial office market has seen a decline as a result of more employees working from home after the pandemic shutdown offices throughout the region. Ronan said market demand for office space continues to wane and could possibly be at a low.
The State of California is working to convert unused state office buildings to housing units, CapRadio reports. The move comes after a 2019 executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom requiring state officials to identify unused office space in state buildings that could be converted to housing.
Illegal dumping near vacant buildings in the Sunrise MarketPlace, such as this former Firestone building, is an ongoing problem for the district. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
The biggest problems for the largest business district in Citrus Heights are illegal dumping at abandoned properties and other issues related to the homeless population in the area.
Executive Director for the Sunrise MarketPlace business improvement district, Kathilynn Carpenter, said in a recent phone interview that a private security company the district contracts with is busy handling calls about the homeless population on a “minute by minute basis.” One recent incident involved an individual living in a crawl space above one of the mall’s tenant spaces, she confirmed. Authorities have since cleared the area.
Illegal dumping at some of the vacant properties is also a costly and time-consuming problem, Carpenter said. Items such as mattresses, bath tubs, engine blocks, and other large waste are routinely dumped behind buildings such as the former Firestone tire center.
People experiencing homelessness use the materials to construct shelters, Carpenter said.
Retail theft is also an ongoing concern in the Sunrise MarketPlace, which is made up of businesses in the Sunrise-Greenback commercial corridor. Carpenter said she is working with NorCal Security and Officer Jeff Schouten to prevent as much theft as possible by closely monitoring individuals engaged in suspicious activity.
A recent job post shows Hobby Lobby is seeking a loss prevention employee for its Citrus Heights store, although it is unclear if the location has had loss prevention staff previously or has created a new position. The job post says the position is “plain clothes” role, rather than uniformed position.
Carpenter said hiring loss prevention staff is a prudent measure that many retail locations are taking throughout the region to combat shoplifting, but said she hasn’t seen an uptick in retail theft compared to prior years.
In 2022, the Sunrise MarketPlace allocated $300,000 toward security and maintenance, out of its $1.3 million budget — a dramatic increase since 2019, when no money was allocated to such uses. Money for the district’s budget does not come from the city, but comes largely from a property tax assessment that businesses in the Sunrise-Greenback commercial corridor have voted to impose on themselves.
Carpenter said last year that the marketplace had started working with Rancho Cordova-based City Wide Property Services to provide daily porter service in the district, including abandoned shopping carts, litter, graffiti and dumped items.
In an effort to curb crime and vandalism, the marketplace paid full salary and benefits to have a dedicated Citrus Heights police officer patrol the district full-time in 2020. An armed private security company was also hired last year to patrol the area when the officer is off-duty.
“Together, the patrols have been effective at keeping crime statistics down,” Carpenter previously told The Sentinel.
The city also recently launched a “Citrus Heights Cares” campaign, in an effort to beautify the city by cleaning up camp sites, illegal dumping and removing trash and litter. A “Beautification Crew” has been launched as part of the campaign, using $875,000 in federal COVID recovery funding to go towards the new cleanup program.
Masterboy Streetstyle opened in January at Sunrise Mall. // M. Hazlip
Updated March 13, 5:57 p.m.–
By Mike Hazlip— While some stores inside Sunrise Mall have vacated spaces or scaled back hours, one new clothing store has opened.
Masterboy Streetstyle is now open in the mall, with owner Payman Rahmani telling The Sentinel he relocated from a previous location on Stockton Boulevard. A social media page for the business shows a grand opening event was held Jan. 6.
Rahmani said the lack of foot traffic at the mall will not hinder his business because he relies on social media marketing to drive traffic to the store. The business advertises brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Moncler, and others.
Masterboy occupies a suite across from the food court that has been vacant for months. The store is organized with children’s clothing and young men’s streetwear.
Elsewhere in the mall, JJ’s Fun Center was observed to be closed during normal business hours Tuesday, Feb. 14. During a subsequent visit on Thursday, an employee at the center said hours had recently been cut back, with the arcade operating Thursday-Sunday only.
Rumors that See’s Candies will be closing inside the mall were not able to be confirmed by The Sentinel, as phone calls to See’s and mall management last week were not answered.
See’s Candies is in the process of building a new flagship regional headquarters store across a few blocks south in the former Patelco building. In an announcement about plans for the new headquarters, the location’s property owner last year said See’s Candies had indicated they will be “consolidating several other locations in the greater Sacramento marketplace to create the flagship store.”
As previously reported, while the mall saw the closures of several tenants last year, it also saw the opening of a toy shop, jewelry store, and a tech store. A West African cuisine and a performing arts nonprofit also opened at Sunrise Mall in 2022.
The city’s long-term plan for Sunrise Mall includes guiding redevelopment of the nearly 100-acre site to include adding up to 2,200 multi-family residential units, 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.
According to the city, the first phase of the plan will likely involve developing unused parking areas over the next five years, with the full plan expected to take 20 years. The second phase will likely incorporate office space, retail, dining, and an extended-stay hotel. The third and final phases include redeveloping the existing mall into a new “21st Century Main Street.”
By Mike Hazlip—
Authorities closed Sunrise Mall early on Saturday night after a group of five to 10 juveniles caused a disturbance at one of the businesses inside the mall.
The incident occurred on Feb. 18 where the group of juveniles were seen shouting profanities at employees of Claire’s. Citrus Heights Police Officer Jeff Schouten worked with mall security personnel to escort the group out of the facility.
Authorities then decided to close the mall as a result of the altercation, Police Sgt. Ken Lewis said in a phone call Tuesday. The mall closed sometime after 7 p.m., about an hour before the normal closing time.
Schouten was assigned to the Sunrise MarketPlace business district as a dedicated officer in April of 2020, with the MarketPlace also adding private security patrols in 2021. The district has reported a subsequent drop in criminal activity as well as panhandling and homeless camps.
A vacant lot is for sale at 7915 Antelope Road. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
A one-acre vacant lot across from the Citrus Heights Leatherby’s restaurant is on the market for $750,000.
Listing agent Ben Faubion, principal of CapWise Commercial Advisors, told The Sentinel on Friday that the property at 7915 Antelope Rd. has been attracting consistent interest from potential buyers, with several offers currently on the table. He said buyers are primarily interested in developing the site for multi-family residential use, but self-storage developers and others have also shown some interest.
The site is located in the Antelope Commons Special Planning Area (SPA), which restricts uses to residential or office developments as a way to “buffer future residents from Antelope Road and adjoining commercial uses,” according to the city’s zoning code.
The zoning code allows density of up to 10 dwelling units per acre in the SPA, however Faubion says city approval could be sought for increased density. The listing includes visuals showing options for a 40-unit apartment complex or a 10-unit townhome layout with an office building, or a 16-unit townhome development.
“I think it makes a lot of sense for some higher density there,” said Faubion. “It starts to address some of the housing shortage in the region in general.”
Faubion said the Antelope Commons area is intended to be a “transition piece,” located between commercial development along Sunrise Boulevard and residential areas north of Antelope Road.
The property was initially listed in September 2021 for $950,000, but the price was subsequently reduced. Faubion said the price change was made to more accurately reflect increased construction costs and adapt to changing market conditions during the pandemic.
The Tuesday Morning store at 7255 Greenback Lane is listed among hundreds of stores proposed to close in the U.S. // CH Sentinel
Sentinel staff report–
The off-price retailer Tuesday Morning is seeking to close more than half of its stores nationwide, including the store at 7255 Greenback Ln. in Citrus Heights.
The Dallas-based retailer has more than 450 locations in the United States and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 14, 2023, seeking major restructuring.
Commercial real estate information giant CoStar reported Wednesday that Tuesday Morning had determined “immediate liquidation of the company’s inventory at its under-performing store locations under the supervision of the bankruptcy court is the best strategy to maximize value for the benefit of creditors.”
A total of 264 Tuesday Morning locations are proposed to be closed across the nation, CoStar reported. In California, those locations include stores in Folsom, Roseville, San Jose, Modesto, Clovis, Redding, Chico, and about two dozen more in southern California.
File photo, a for sale sign advertises a local home on the market. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Uncertainty among both buyers and sellers continues, as the months-long drop in home prices shows possible signs of leveling out.
Local real estate broker Cara Richey said prices in the Citrus Heights area have seen a downward trend for several months, with the average sold price now hovering in the mid to upper $400,000 range. For Sacramento County, the median price has seen a drop from $520,000 in January 2022 to $499,000 in January of this year.
Richey told The Sentinel that homes are selling for 95% percent of the original list price, a factor that is putting pressure on sellers.
For sellers currently entering the market, Richey says they are now often motivated by life events such as a change in family structure or jobs. Those on the sidelines, however, remain hesitant waiting to see where the market will go from here, she said.
“I see more people just ‘waiting’ in uncertainty due to interest rates, the declining market, and overall concerns about the future of our economy and the impact it will have on the housing market,” Richey said.
Comparison data with prior years show around 40% less new listings in Sacramento County, indicating sellers are sitting out of the market, according to Sacramento appraiser and blogger Ryan Lundquist. The appraiser said January 2023 was the “worst January ever” for new listings in the county.
The number of sales in Sacramento County have also plummeted compared to a year ago, with just 552 sales in January 2023 compared with 1,014 in January last year, according to data from Lundquist.
“[I]t’s not a shocker to still see subdued sales volume,” wrote Lundquist. “The truth is we will get more buyers back as affordability improves.”
The California Association of Realtors reported in a Feb. 9 press release that just 17 percent of households statewide could afford a single-family home with a median price of $790,020. Affordability in the Sacramento region is higher, where 28 percent of households are able to afford the median priced home, Lundquist says.
Although year-over-year numbers show a modest 5 percent dip from 2022, Lundquist says those stats don’t capture the full change in the market over the last nine months. The current median home price for the Sacramento region is about 15 percent lower than May of 2022.
Responding to questions of whether the market has seen a bottoming out, Lundquist says historical data from the last downturn shows the market could see two different low points. The first low could come in sales volume, with a second low in median price coming months or even years later.
“It took just over two years for volume to reach a bottom after the peak in 2005, but it took another fourteen months after the volume bottom for the price decline to slow way down in Sacramento County,” Lundquist wrote in his Feb. 14 blog.
Lundquist said in a Jan. 30 blog post that the region is currently seeing a seasonal spring pickup, with more pending listings, more multiple offers, and more new listings, but says “it seems premature to say the market is normal.”
“Everyone has ideas about the future, but let’s be cautious about interpreting spring seasonality as a bottom,” Lundquist writes. “Time will tell. Let’s keep watching by the week.”
