The former Patelco Bank building at 5499 Sunrise Blvd. is slated to become a See’s Candies flagship store. // Image credit: Google Streetview
Sentinel staff report–
A two-story, former credit union building at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Uplands Way has been sold for $2 million, with a lease now in place to turn the location into a new flagship store and corporate offices for See’s Candies.
News of the sale was described in an Oct. 7 press release, with the sale price confirmed by a Tallen Capital Partners spokesperson. Tallen Capital and Citivest Commercial partnered together to acquire the 10,621-square-foot building back in May, with See’s Candies later signing a long-term triple-net lease for the building, according to the release.
The flagship store will reportedly include a retail shop, corporate offices, and a business-to-business operations unit for corporate sales. The property at 5499 Sunrise Blvd. was previously home to Patelco Credit Union.
“See’s Candies representatives have relayed to us that they have found the perfect location for their first corporate flagship operation in over 100-years,” Tallen Capital Partners CEO Terry Tallen said in the news release. “We are immensely proud to add this jewel box to our growing retail portfolio.”
Tallen also said See’s Candies has indicated they will be “consolidating several other locations in the greater Sacramento marketplace to create the flagship store.”
Tallen Capital and Citivest specialize in real estate investment, including purchase of distressed or under-performing commercial and residential properties.
A home at 6444 Sylvan Road is listed for just under $1 million. // Image courtesy, Janis Shoemaker
By Mike Hazlip—
A four-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Citrus Heights, originally listed last year at over $1 million, has now seen its second price drop this year.
The property at 6444 Sylvan Rd. is currently offered up at $895,500, a drop of over $200,000 from its list price of $1.15 million last year, records show. The 3,048-square-foot home on a 1.48-acre landscaped lot is designed for entertaining guests, with features like two dishwashers, double ovens, and an outdoor tent.
The property was pending sale in June at $997,500 but saw another price drop in July down to $989,500. The home’s owner, Janis Shoemaker, said the initial price drop from $1.15 million was due to a lot line adjustment that reduced the size of the property.
Shoemaker, who is also the property’s listing agent, told The Sentinel in a previous report that she is moving on to “a new season of life,” and is looking to reduce the time and effort needed to maintain the property.
When she originally purchased the home with her husband, Shoemaker said it had boarded-up windows and the yard was in poor condition. Over the last two decades, she has worked to give the home manicured landscaping.
“When I bought that property it was an impound tow yard,” she said. “It was garbage. My husband and I did a ton of work there.”
Shoemaker says the ideal buyer might be a large family looking for a quiet private space away from the main road, or it could also appeal to a buyer wanting to turn it into a care home.
Additional information and photos can be found on the property’s online listing.
The Sentinel previously reported that a Citrus Heights residential property sold for a record-breaking $1.25 million in August, located on Holly Drive. Another million-dollar listing on Sycamore Drive was removed from the market in September without a sale.
Theatre in the Heights is located at 8215 Auburn Blvd., in Citrus Heights. // S. Williams
By Sara Beth Williams–
Theatre in the Heights will host its fifth annual Bogart Film Festival from Oct. 7-9 at their location at 8215 Auburn Blvd.
Admission is free, and there are no reservations required, according to the theatre’s website. Seating will be first-come, first-serve, and popcorn and drinks will be provided.
Multiple Humphrey Bogart films will be aired during the event. Theatre President Blake Flores said in an interview with The Sentinel that the most popular movie is typically Casablanca, which will air on Saturday night.
The Bogart Film Festival was once held annually in Key Largo, Florida, but was discontinued in 2017. Flores said he and his business partner attended the festival in Key Largo annually and both were “really sad” when the festival was canceled indefinitely. That’s when he decided to put on a local Bogart Film Festival at Theatre in the Heights free of charge, five years ago.
“It’s nice to get to know your patrons, have some drinks, enjoy some snacks and have a good time,” Flores said.
The theatre president said audience turnout in the past has depended on popularity of the movies being aired, and the theatre tries to offer a variety of Bogart films, not just the most popular titles.
A list of films, film summaries and showtimes are available on the theatre’s website.
Several shopping carts with personal belongings are shown behind a building in the shopping plaza at Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue in October 2021. // CH Sentinel
Updated Oct. 19, 9:45 a.m.–
By Philip Pesola– As part of a new plan to combat blight and clean up the city, public comment is currently being sought on a proposed ordinance aimed at reducing the number of abandoned shopping carts in the Citrus Heights.
A draft of the ordinance, released on the city’s website on Sept. 26, explains the proposed rules in detail. Businesses which provide shopping carts for customer use would be required to attach signs to each cart, including identifying and contact information, as well as a notice that removal of the cart from the associated business location is illegal.
Anyone removing a shopping cart from the businesses’ premises without written consent from the owner would be guilty of an infraction and be subject to a $100 fine for the first offense, $200 for the second, and $500 for the third, within a one year period. An enforcement provision in the draft wording also allows for “prosecution of a misdemeanor” and other penalties for anyone violating the ordinance.
Businesses which have more than five carts in use would be required to submit and implement a shopping cart plan, which would include cart and property signage, employee training, and specific loss prevention and retrieval measures.
Included in the list of recommended loss prevention measures are wheel locking devices combined with electronic or magnetic barriers to prevent carts from leaving a specified area, prohibiting use of carts outside the business’ building, and collecting security deposits for the use of carts.
If the ordinance is adopted, each affected business would have 60 days to submit a plan to the city’s Community Development Department. Any business owner who fails to submit or implement a plan, or fails to modify their plan as requested by the city, would be required to install wheel locking devices on all of their shopping carts within 60 days of being notified of the violation. Failure to install the devices by that time would result in a penalty of $500 per day that they remain uninstalled.
Under this ordinance, the city would be able to impound carts found outside of their respective business’ property. The city would be required to notify the owner of the cart within 24 hours of impounding it, to keep the cart at a reasonably accessible location, and to return the cart without any fine or penalty if it is claimed by the owner within three days. After three days, the cart owner would be required to pay for the city’s costs in contacting the owner and retrieving and storing the cart.
If the city were to impound more than five carts from a business owner within a 30 day period, that business owner could be required to install wheel locking devices on all of their carts or potentially be prohibited from the use of shopping carts altogether.
In a letter sent out to businesses in September, the city said advised business owners of its intent to pass an ordinance addressing theft and blight associated with shopping carts.
“While the City of Citrus Heights retrieves carts as part of nuisance abatement, the demand has increased to the point preventative measures are needed,” the city said in its letter, calling the proposed ordinance “one tool in a robust toolbox being built to combat blight and improve community image.”
According to a tentative timeline posted on the city’s website, a review and comment period for the proposed ordinance is currently underway through Oct. 27, 2022. The ordinance is slated to go to the City Council for a vote on Oct. 27, which if passed, would become effective Dec. 12, 2022.
Comments can be sent to planning@citrusheights.net, or by calling the Planning Division at (916) 727-4740. A full copy of the draft ordinance can be viewed online by clicking here.
A home at 7534 Sycamore Drive was recently taken off the market, without sale. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
A Citrus Heights home originally listed at $1.29 million has been taken off the market without a sale, after several price drops.
Real estate records show the home at 7534 Sycamore Drive was taken off the market on Sept. 13, after multiple price changes and pending sales dating back to November 2020. The million-dollar estate has yet to find a buyer after shedding nearly $80,000 in three price drops since August 6.
The five-bedroom, three-bath home was built in 2018 and occupies over 4,000 square feet of a large, .83-acre lot. The listing shows the home has amenities in league with other million-dollar offerings, such as 21-foot ceilings, tile floors, a master bath with quartz vanity, raindrop shower and air jets in the tub.
The home is not located in a neighborhood with similar estates. Auburn Boulevard is just a few hundred feet away from the driveway, and the lot is flanked by older homes and commercial developments along the boulevard. The Sierra Oaks Apartment complex is located about 150 feet away.
The listing agent for the property did not return a request for comment, and has told The Sentinel previously she could not comment without consulting the property owners.
Real estate appraisal expert Ryan Lundquist said he could not comment on the price without assessing the property, but recent reports from his Sacramento Appraisal Blog have shown marked shifts in the housing market.
In a Sept. 27 report, Lundquist looked at 7 percent mortgage rates and warned buyers about a potential correction in the market.
“It’s as if the housing market is the sacrificial lamb on the altar of Fed strategy to curb inflation,” Lundquist said. “My advice? Start believing the Fed about their intent to change the housing market.”
Chuze Fitness is slated to open a new location at 5995 Birdcage Centre Ln., formerly home to a Sports Authority store. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Although plans were initially slated for an earlier opening date, Citrus Heights’ newest fitness center is set to open early October.
Southern California-based Chuze Fitness is opening in the former Sports Authority building at 5995 Birdcage Centre Ln. in the Marketplace at Birdcage shopping center. Corporate spokeswoman Allie Droze told The Sentinel the company is “thrilled” to open in Citrus Heights and confirmed the location is slated to open in “early October.”
Signage matching the company’s branding is already in place at the site, and much of the fitness equipment is in installed. A phone call to the location on Oct. 1 played a recording telling callers that the center is opening soon, but did not include a specific date.
Chuze Fitness has over 30 locations throughout California, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, according to the company’s website. Amenities offered at many of the gym’s California locations include HydroMassage chairs, indoor cinema areas with daily movie showings, tanning beds, indoor turf areas, as well as pools and hot tubs. Some locations are also open 24 hours.
Another Southern California-based fitness chain is also slated to open a new location in Citrus Heights, at the Sunrise Village shopping center currently being renovated at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue. City Sports Club is planning to open a 36,000-square-foot location in the center, according to plans listed online.
Future development in the Sunrise Marketplace continues, with CSL Plasma coming to the former Dimple Records building at 7830 Macy Plaza Drive, and extensive redevelopment of the Sunrise Village center near Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue.
Austin Smith (L) and Dalvir Singh Brar (R) in front of Brar’s pizza restaurant where almost every window was broken earlier this year in what appeared to be a targeted act of vandalism. // M. Hazlip
Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights police said in a news release on Friday that a “person of interest” has been arrested in connection with a series of window-smash incidents at area businesses, with damage totaling more than half-a-million dollars.
Police said detectives from multiple jurisdictions coordinated together to investigate a series of vandalism incidents spanning several counties over the past few months. The Sentinel has reported on window-smash incidents at Mountain Mikes Pizza as well as at Fukumi Ramen, both located on Sunrise Boulevard.
On Thursday, Sept. 29, police said Citrus Heights detectives and the Sacramento Police Department served search warrants at a residence and business involving a “person of interest” in the slew of vandalism incidents. Police said 30-year-old Philip Archuleta, of Roseville, was arrested during the operation “for unrelated crimes including possession of a stolen assault weapon, and child endangerment.”
Police said Archuleta was running the business of “Brothers Doors and Glass” without a contractor’s license and noted that additional charges related to the window smash vandalism are anticipated to be made “in the near future.”
Police said the investigation has determined the vandalism was not a hate related crime.
A home on Lost Creek Court was listed in September 2022 for $620,000. // M. Hazlip
By Mike Hazlip—
Rising interest rates are putting sellers in a tough spot to drop prices, as buyers are facing monthly payments hundreds of dollars more than a few months ago.
Real estate listing sites show the typical Citrus Heights offerings in the $600,000 range are single-family detached homes with four bedrooms. There are also five-bedroom listings with over 2,000 square feet, and some three-bedroom properties.
New construction homes in the Mitchell Farms development can still be had for just under $500,000, up to over $600,000.
One home listed at $620,000 borders a planned stadium currently under construction at Mesa Verde High School, the first to be listed along Lost Creek Ct. after development began amid controversy over noise from some residents in the neighborhood. The two-story home last sold in 2017 for just over $400,000, and features a 2,136-square-foot layout, a large backyard, updated interior, and a two-car garage.
Real estate appraisal expert Ryan Lundquist told The Sentinel the new stadium could be an asset for the right buyer. He called the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento an “asset for the entire region,” but added he is not aware of any buyers who were willing to pay more for a home near a stadium.
Citrus Heights has seen its share of price drops in recent months, but also saw a record-breaking $1.25 million sale of a residential property in August, the highest ever recorded in the city. However, records also show another million-dollar listing in Citrus Heights was pulled off the market after several price drops.
Lundquist said price drops are common in the Sacramento region. Part of the reason is the sharp rise in interest rates.
“While it’s easy to blame sellers for being disconnected from the market, it’s important to concede that it’s not easy to adjust to a quick-changing trend,” he said in an email on Wednesday.
About half of all active listings in Citrus Heights have seen a price drop, a statistic Lundquist says is on par with that of the larger region. The housing market typically sees a dip during fall and winter months, but this year’s sharp change in interest rates is adding to the market slowdown, he says.
The median price for single-family dwellings typically dips one to three percent during this time of year, but the market is seeing seven percent drops since May, he said.
“[T]here is no mistaking the stats are starting to show sharper change,” Lundquist said. “This is to be expected in light of mortgage rates going up so much lately, but it’s also something that sellers need to recognize and embrace into their selling strategy.”
Adeola Adedayo and Mo Rahmon serve West African fare at Naija Cusine, the newest restaurant to open in the Sunrise Mall food court. // M. Hazlip
By Sara Beth Williams–
A local restaurant that recently re-located to the Sunrise Mall food court will host an all-day Nigerian Independence Day celebration this Saturday, Oct. 1.
Najia Cuisine, a restaurant featuring West African cuisine, opened in the Sunrise Mall food Court on Sept. 1, 2022. The restaurant will be celebrating their official grand opening with a Nigerian Independence Day Celebration, said Nigerian owner, Adeola Adedayo in an interview.
The restaurant was previously located on Northgate Boulevard in Sacramento, and then later operated out of a “ghost kitchen” on Sunrise Boulevard where they fulfilled to-go and catering orders. This is the first year that the restaurant will hold a Nigerian Independence Day celebration.
“We are going to have music all day,” Adedayo said, noting the event will feature a famous West African DJ from San Francisco to play music for the celebration. The celebration will last from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and patrons whose orders are over $50 will receive a discount.
The restaurant serves a variety of West African dishes that include beef, goat meat and chicken, with soup and rice entrees.
Nigeria’s Independence Day is celebrated on Oct. 1 annually and commemorates the country’s independence from British rule in 1960. The public holiday is a day of rest and relaxation, where markets and public places often close. Oct. 1, 2022 marks the 62nd anniversary of independence for Nigeria.
Sentinel staff report–
Board members for the Sunrise MarketPlace business improvement district during their September meeting could not come to a consensus on whether to support or oppose the city’s proposed ban on new auto-oriented uses in the Sunrise-Greenback commercial corridor.
“The simple answer is that the Board was unable to come to a consensus on the Overlay Ban,” said SMP Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter in an email response to an inquiry from The Sentinel, following the board’s Sept. 8 meeting.
The proposed “zoning overlay” would prevent businesses like car washes and gas stations from opening in the Sunrise MarketPlace, without affecting such kinds of businesses that are already open or in existence prior to Dec. 1, 2022. The ban would cover the commercial areas within the Sunrise MarketPlace, which roughly extends along Sunrise Boulevard from Madison Avenue to just north of Greenback Lane, as well as a portion of Greenback Lane from Birdcage Street to Fair Oaks Boulevard.
“The Board did note that the two businesses that have received interest from auto-related uses have been vacant for a few years,” said Carpenter, referring to the former China Buffet and Marie Callender’s restaurants on Sunrise Boulevard. She said both of the currently vacant buildings have been “major targets for transient activity.”
“The owners have tried but have not been successful in finding full-service restaurant tenants or other more desirable businesses,” she said. “The Board encouraged the City to help these owners find acceptable uses if they restrict specific uses.”
A map of the overlay area is available on the city’s website.
The city has said it would like to restrict unused space within the Sunrise MarketPlace to businesses that reduce cut-through traffic and increase the vibrancy and character of the community. The plan to redevelop Sunrise Mall also restricts auto-focused businesses, so the proposal would effectively extend that prohibition to the surrounding trade area.
The proposed text of the zoning overlay has now been released on the city’s website and is viewable by clicking here. Comments regarding the zoning proposal can be directed to the Planning Division by sending an email to planning@citrusheights.net, or by calling (916) 727-4740.
