Patricia Wright stands outside her new Dollar n’ More store at 7601 Sunrise Blvd. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
A new discount store has opened in Citrus Heights, located at a shopping center near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road.
Patricia Wright opened Dollar n’ More at 7601 Sunrise Blvd. on Dec. 22, just three days before Christmas.
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Wright, who has a background in legal, financial, healthcare and trucking services, told The Sentinel in an interview Wednesday. “I’ve always wanted to be my own person where I can help. I thought that having a dollar store instead of a trucking business is something that can reach the community.”
The business owner says she researched several areas including Roseville and Rocklin before settling on Citrus Heights to open her business. She says the city has been supportive throughout the months-long process she began last October.
Eventually, Wright says she wants to expand the store’s footprint and offer some grocery staples, such as milk and bread and accept EBT cards.
The store offers a variety of merchandise, from home goods and personal care items, to small tools.
Being part of the shopping center has helped Wright’s business, she says, and in return she offers a discount to employees from neighboring businesses. The plaza is also home to a coffee shop, donut store, tattoo shop, and laundromat, among other businesses. Wright says she used the printer just a few doors down for her signs and banners.
Studio Movie Grill pulled out of plans for a new location in Citrus Heights, amid bankruptcy during the pandemic. // S. Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Going to the movies is a Christmas tradition for many families, but in Citrus Heights that currently means going outside the city limits, as there are no theaters located in the city.
The city’s only theater, a discount cinema inside Sunrise Mall, shut down during the pandemic and never reopened. The next closest theater is on Greenback Lane at Interstate 80, but is located just outside the city limits.
Hope for bringing a new theater to Citrus Heights came with much attention when Studio Movie Grill announced plans to open in the former Kmart building on Auburn Boulevard, but those hopes were crushed during the pandemic, when the theater chain pulled out of plans and filed for bankruptcy.
However, there appears to still be hope on the horizon, as a new theater is shown in a brochure for the old Kmart site, posted by the leasing firm Red Mountain Group, Inc. Additionally, the city is hoping to attract a theater as part of its plan to guide redevelopment at Sunrise Mall.
An updated leasing brochure shows the 34,000-square-foot abandoned movie grill building is not available for lease and has the words “theater coming soon” typed on the location. The wording doesn’t appear to be an outdated reference to the former movie grill, as the date on the brochure shows it was updated Sept. 22, 2022, and also shows the Big Lots location next door as being available for lease, which is a recent development.
The brochure also depicts future monument signage for the shopping center, including a slot to display the name of a new theater, but no specific theater name has been listed.
Hints of another theater coming to the site were first reported in an August article in The Sentinel, but the property’s management firm and owners have been silent about any specifics.
STORE Capital, which owns the property, told The Sentinel in a phone call that they are not allowed to release any information on lease agreements. A property management advisor also said they were not authorized to speak on the matter of any new possible tenants, and a call to Red Mountain Group was not returned before publishing deadline.
Along with the theater at Sunrise Mall, Citrus Heights also used to have a drive-in theater, which opened more than 70 years ago next to the current Citrus Grove shopping center near the border of Citrus Heights and Roseville on Auburn Boulevard.
The Citrus Heights Drive-in Theater operated for almost 30 years, according to Citrus Heights Historical Society President Larry Fritz, with a giant theater screen backing up to the freeway. Fritz recalled visiting the theater with his family during the 1960s.
As previously reported, the partially renovated, abandoned building at 8501 Auburn Blvd. has been vacant since 2016, when the Citrus Heights Kmart store liquidated its inventory and closed its doors. Plans for a Studio Movie Grill began to take form in 2017, but later fell through.
City of Citrus Heights Economic Development and Community Engagement Director Meghan Huber said no applications for a new tenant have been filed for the property, as of Dec. 22. She said the city remains “excited” about the potential of the Citrus Grove shopping center, echoing earlier statements made during an Auburn Boulevard Business Association (ABBA) meeting in February.
During the ABBA monthly meeting, with representatives and city officials in attendance, Huber said STORE Capital understands the value of the asset and that the city has been working with them closely to find a new tenant.
The Sentinel reported that Huber told those in attendance that the property along Auburn Boulevard “is our number one priority site,” adding that it’s highly visible from the freeway.
T & Z Toys opened its doors Nov. 1, 2022, at Sunrise Mall. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
A toy store is the newest tenant at Sunrise mall, opening just a month before the Christmas shopping season.
T & Z Toys opened its doors Nov. 1, owner Farzad Yoozbashi told The Sentinel. Yoozbashi operates the business with his wife and says he hopes to remain at the mall after the holiday season is over.
The business sells remote control vehicles and plush toys along with various themed play-sets. A steady stream of customers was moving through the business during a visit from Sentinel staff on Friday, two days before Christmas.
The former Sears building at Sunrise Mall is now on the market. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Just one month after acquiring the former Sears property at Sunrise Mall, commercial real estate mogul Ethan Conrad has listed the buildings for a combined total of nearly $20 million. An option to lease is also listed.
Listings on the commercial real estate website LoopNet show the main three-story retail building and the former parts and service building are listed together for $16.3 million, which includes 768 parking spaces. The former Sears Auto Center building is listed separately at just under $3 million, with 55 parking spots.
Collectively, the offerings represent over 21 acres of the roughly 100-acre Sunrise Mall site.
An offering brochure from Ethan Conrad Properties shows the former Sears site is currently being remodeled, and also shows it includes three vacant pads with frontage along Sunrise Boulevard. The site has a total of 257,584 square feet of retail space, according to the brochure.
The total purchase price is allocated by level, the brochure shows, with the lower level showroom valued at $3.97 million, the first floor retail for $7 million, and the second floor for $4.51 million. The parts center is listed at under $1 million.
The offering comes just a month after Ethan Conrad purchased the vacant assets from Seritage Growth Properties in a $7 million transaction last November, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.
Questions emailed to Ethan Conrad on Tuesday were immediately responded to by press time Wednesday.
Conrad previously told The Business Journal the best use of the land will be retail, and that he had been communicating with the City of Citrus Heights to determine “desirable retail uses for the property.” He reportedly told employees that retailers are already interested in some pieces of the site.
Conrad said the purchase price was “about equal” to the value of the land, with no additional cost for existing improvements.
The sale of the Sears building is the latest in recent development news for Sunrise Mall, as the city seeks to work with private developers to make the Sunrise Tomorrow plan a reality. The city announced in October that an application was submitted that “lays out a footprint” for a potential hotel at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane.
Seritage Growth Properties is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) formed in July 2015 just before Sears filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018, reports show. A 2019 AP report shows Sears Holdings filed a lawsuit against former Sears CEO Eddie Lampert alleging he “stripped” the company of more than $2 billion. Lampert denied the allegations, the AP said.
The suit was settled last August, and in the intervening years the properties at the south end of Sunrise Mall have sat vacant as vandalism and criminal activity increased at the site.
A file photo from December 2021 shows the Grand Oaks Shopping Center, located on Auburn Boulevard near Grand Oaks Boulevard. // M. Hazlip
By Sara Beth Williams–
The Grand Oaks Plaza on Auburn Boulevard is seeing new business activity, with two new businesses opening their doors and one business opening up to the public for the first time in almost a year.
Global Printing Press and Copy, a digital printing company, is the newest business to open in the plaza. Business owner Abid Mohammad said in a phone call to The Sentinel on Wednesday that the business officially opened two weeks ago.
Global Printing offers a variety of printing services, and has brightly colored signage and store hours posted. The store was not open during a Sentinel visit to the shopping center last Wednesday. The printing shop offers screen printing on t-shirts and hoodies, and large sign, banner and poster printing, among other services.
Mohammad said it will take time to get things going but he is optimistic about the future of business.
“Neighbors are helping, that’s pretty nice,” the business owner said, adding that he’s already made 200 custom t-shirts for Phat Chad’s Tavern next door.
On the other side of Dollar General, The Camp Transformation Center, a weight loss fitness center, opened in October of 2022, and offers fitness classes in mornings and evenings. Stephanie Castro, director of The Camp Transformation Center said the center is not an ordinary gym, but a place for those specifically seeking trainers to help guide them in their fitness and nutrition goals.
Alfi House, an outlet that sells closeout and overstock furniture and appliances, toys and household items, recently opened to the public for the first time after having only been available to customers by appointment since November of 2021.
Latifah Alfi, a sales representative with Alfi House, told The Sentinel that the furniture store opened up to the public three months ago and is currently offering significant discounts on all items.
Alfi cited homelessness in the shopping center as a concern, mentioning that the store remained open by appointment due to safety concerns.
The addition of new businesses is a welcome sign and a “total positive”, according to Paul Lee, owner of Felipe’s Mexican Restaurant, which sits near the center of the plaza.
Beth Hassett, CEO of WEAVE, stands next to Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney and Stones Partner Kermit Schayltz, along with the police chief and two former officials, to receive an award on Dec. 14, 2022. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
The CEO of Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE) was recognized with a Stones Gambling Hall “21 Award” during a Dec. 14 ceremony.
WEAVE CEO Beth Hassett accepted the award for her efforts in working with the Citrus Heights Police Department to help women and children who are in abusive relationships. Hassett has fostered a partnership with Citrus Heights police for about five years, she said in an interview with The Sentinel at the event.
Through Hassett’s efforts, an advocate works with police when they respond to calls for service in the community. The advocate follows up on domestic violence sexual assault, and sex trafficking calls, Hassett said.
Over the past five years, WEAVE has provided support to over 1,000 victims while working with Citrus Heights police. That includes 885 victims of domestic violence, 134 victims of sexual assault, and seven victims of sex trafficking, according to a resolution read at the ceremony.
“It’s a critical program,” Hassett said. “And not every law enforcement entity is even open to such an arrangement because it’s really a melding of two different kinds of cultures. You’ve got that law enforcement culture and you got victim services, trauma informed services, which sometimes don’t always work well together.”
Hassett said WEAVE’s relationship with Citrus Heights police has been a positive one for victims.
“The important thing about that is that there’s this window of time, especially with domestic violence, where if the victim gets help, while the perpetrators in jail and they’re separated, they’re much more likely to accept that help and to make choices where they can move out of an abusive and dangerous relationship.”
Hassett said domestic violence incidents are typically the top call for service among any law enforcement agency. She defined domestic violence as violence between intimate partners, both married and dating. It often includes children who are impacted.
Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte presented the award, saying WEAVE advocates are an integral part of the Police Department.
“On behalf of the Police Department, we would not be able to provide the service that we do without our partnership with WEAVE,” Turcotte said, calling the partnership a unique grassroots effort. “Our advocates not only working with the Police Department, but actually embedded in the station and going out to scenes with us. That wraparound service to immediately put a victim of one of these crimes together with their advocate and get there, get them hooked to resources has really cut that cycle down.”
Kermit Schayltz, one of several partners that own Stones, said Hassett was chosen for the seventh annual award based on her long history of helping people in the community. Other recipients have included Sunrise MarketPlace Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter and former City Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins.
Stories like this wouldn’t be possible without support from Sentinel subscribers. To view subscription options and benefits, click here.
By Phillip Pesola–
The Citrus Heights City Council last week voted unanimously to seek a state grant of up to $10 million to be used toward the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan.
Casey Kempenaar, community development director for the city, presented the proposal to the City Council during their Dec. 8 meeting, recommending the city submit a grant application for Higher Impact Transformative (HIT) funding as part of California’s Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) program.
According to a document published by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, REAP funds are intended to be used to invest in housing infrastructure in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled and make housing more affordable for all income groups. The HIT portion of these funds is meant to be used toward novel or innovative approaches to achieving the program goals.
Kempenaar said grant funding, if approved, would go to support infill development on the mall site, paying for frontage improvements, utilities, intersection upgrades and transit-related improvements.
The city’s four-phase plan to guide development at Sunrise Mall includes 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. The plan requires partnership with private developers to become a reality, but the city has been pursuing efforts to fund infrastructure needs at the site and make the plan “shovel-ready” to attract developers.
According to the city, the first phase aims to develop the 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 “21st Century Main Street.”
Kempenaar said in order to make the grant application more competitive, the city will allocate $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding toward the Sunrise Tomorrow plan, in the event that a grant is awarded. If less than the desired $10 million is awarded, the ARPA funding would be prorated accordingly.
The City of Citrus Heights website explains that the rescue plan funds are federal funds to be used for COVID-19 relief and economic recovery. The city has been allocated $15.7 million in ARPA funds. Previous uses of the funds by the city have included police department staffing, vehicles, and equipment, as well as a small business COVID recovery program.
A portion of Sunrise Mall’s parking areas is dark after what mall general manager said was vandalism from homeless individuals attempting to tap into the mall’s electricity to charge devices. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Mall shoppers and patrons of a recently opened children’s theater have found a large portion of the Sunrise Mall parking lot dark in recent weeks, prompting questions about safety and maintenance.
Much of the parking area between JCPenny and the men’s Macy’s store has been dark, and mall-goers have been observed navigating by headlight or mobile device during evening hours. Mall General Manager James Anderson told The Sentinel in a phone call Wednesday that the outage was caused by homeless individuals attempting to tap into the mall’s electrical system to charge devices.
“There’s been issues with the homeless population digging up the electrical wiring in the shopping center trying to charge cell phones,” Anderson said. “We’ve done a temporary repair twice, but with the heavy rains, the water got into the repair and shorted it out.”
Temporary lights were seen set up in the parking lot Wednesday night, after Sentinel questions to Sunrise MarketPlace and the mall’s general manager earlier that day.
Anderson said he believes individuals are attempting to access the low voltage irrigation wires but end up damaging the lighting system despite “high voltage” warning labels on the access panels. He said two poles will need to be rewired.
An electrical company has been contacted to perform permanent repairs, at a cost of about $5,000, Anderson said. The work is set to begin Dec. 23 and he estimates it will take about a day to complete.
“That’s the soonest we could get,” Anderson said, pointing to the holiday season when many electricians are taking time off. “But we did ask them to expedite it so if they have a job that cancels or something that falls off the schedule, we’ll be moved up.”
Sunrise MarketPlace Director Kathilynn Carpenter confirmed the repair date in a Wednesday email to The Sentinel saying “The mall is aware and working on it.”
About 85 percent of the parking areas of the mall are lit, Anderson said, and the mall is encouraging shoppers to use the lit areas of the parking lots until repairs can be completed.
Elliott’s Fine Nutrition, located at 8063 Greenback Lane, has closed. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
The Elliott’s Fine Nutrition store on Greenback Lane has permanently closed its doors, after the owner was killed during an East Sacramento robbery.
Charles Starzynski, 70, was shot and killed on Oct. 20, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee. Starzynski owned Elliott’s Fine Nutrition stores with his wife, Karsan Elliott, and formerly worked as a program director at Capitol Public Radio.
Elliott’s Fine Nutrition announced the closure of the Citrus Heights location in a statement on the business’s Facebook page, saying the closure was due to “a shocking and untimely death” in the Elliott family. The store’s final day was Nov. 30.
“This death has caused a traumatic effect on our operation and forces us to make immediate changes,” the announcement said. “We ask for your cooperation and assistance as we address this challenge. We apologize for the abrupt changes required, and for the inconvenience.”
Merchandise and displays have already been moved out of the Citrus Heights location, and the interior was dark during a Thursday visit by Sentinel staff. A sign on the door reads “Thank you for your business,” and points customers to the company’s two other stores, Elliott’s Fine Nutrition in Folsom, and Elliott’s Natural Foods in Sacramento.
Starzynski’s death was the 49th homicide this year in Sacramento, according to The Bee. The paper reported the shooting happened near 39th and N streets around 12:30 p.m., in an alley near Sutter Lawn Tennis Club.
A 23-year-old suspect, DeSean Leon Brasser, Jr., was arrested within 24 hours of the shooting, after police quickly identified and located him at an apartment complex in Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood.
Online inmate records show Brasser was booked into jail at 1:35 a.m on Oct. 21. He is charged with felony murder and is ineligible for bail. Records show his next court appearance is slated for Dec. 15.
Stacks of drywall sheets and concrete, now damaged by weather, sit outside the former Studio Movie Grill site on Auburn Boulevard. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Thousands of dollars worth of drywall sheets and concrete bags, apparently left behind in the wake of Studio Movie Grill’s bankruptcy, now sit at the site damaged by weather.
On Tuesday, more than 300 sheets of drywall could be seen stacked near the former Kmart building, rain-soaked and warped from being left outdoors. Nearby, bags of concrete on a pallet have hardened since the company ceased construction at the site during the pandemic and never resumed.
Patrick Murphy, a property manager for the site, told The Sentinel in a phone call Wednesday he was not aware of materials left at the site. Murphy speculated the materials are “likely” leftover from previous work at the site by another contractor.
A materials calculator from Home Depot shows 300 sheets of drywall have an estimated value of over $3,000.
The Sentinel previously reported Studio Movie Grill halted construction at the site in 2020, with the company later filing for bankruptcy after citing the “unparalleled impact of COVID-19.”
Murphy said plans are moving forward for a new tenant at the site, adding that the city of Citrus Heights has been supportive of efforts to attract tenants to the center.
In a related story, anchor tenant Big Lots announced they are closing their Citrus Heights location after three years at the site. Murphy said the company is closing more than 30 locations overall.
Last year, three new businesses joined the center, including a new nail salon, a cafe and a discount wholesaler. The future of the former Studio Grill Site remains unconfirmed, although a leasing brochure dated Sept. 22, 2022, shows plans for a theater and does not list the site as available.
