Tag: alley katz

  • Public hearings set for proposed Citrus Heights night club, car wash

    Quick Quack car wash
    A map included in planning commission documents indicates the proposed area for a new Quick Quack Car Wash in Citrus Heights. // Courtesy, City of Citrus Heights

    Two separate public hearings will be held during an April 12 Citrus Heights planning commission meeting, where commissioners are expected to make a decision on whether to approve a new Latin-themed night club in the Citrus Town Center and a new car wash near Antelope Road and Interstate 80.

    Update: an update on this story will be included in The Sentinel’s April 16 Weekend e-Edition. Click here to sign up free.

    One proposal seeks to transform the existing Alley Katz bar at 7942 Arcadia Drive into a night club called “Plush Restaurant and Lounge.” According to planning commission documents, the proposal has been made by the current owner of Alley Katz, Felipe Olvera, along with two business partners, who are seeking to reformat the facility to target the region’s Latin community with “salsa dance, bachata, and other Mexican regional music including regeaton and mariachi.”

    Proposed hours of operation for the night club and restaurant are 2:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends. Entry would be restricted to those age 18 and up, except on weekends when a 21-and-over restriction would begin at 10 p.m.

    Menu items for the restaurant would include a variety of tacos, tamales, sushi-style rolls, tostadas, and mixed drinks.

    Document: See full April 12 planning commission agenda packet

    A letter about the proposed night club was submitted to the planning division by resident Nancy Graham, who heads up the area’s Sunrise Oaks Neighborhood Association. She stated primary concerns about occupancy limits being too high for the location — which were initially proposed for up to 900 patrons.

    Citrus Heights Associate Planner Alison Bermudez confirmed on Friday that the city has conditioned occupancy to 500, but Graham told The Sentinel “500 is still way too many,” citing a 261-unit housing development proposed across the street on Arcadia Drive.

    A staff report from the planning division also references the proposed housing across the street and states that no outdoor music or activities will be allowed at the night club in order to minimize noise. Other conditions imposed on the proposed night club include a minimum of two security guards from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., with an additional pair of guards required in the parking lot on weekends and whenever patrons exceed 100.

    A police statement included in the planning commission’s agenda packet reports “no significant calls for service or problems” at the location, since it opened as Alley Katz in 2015.

    Related: Watt Communities proposes huge 261-unit development in Citrus Heights

    The second proposal to be taken up by planning commissioners is a Quick Quack Car Wash facility proposed at 7882 Lichen Drive, next to Goodwill Express across from Raley’s. The proposal would construct a new 3,500-square-feet automated car wash tunnel on the currently undeveloped 1.8-acre parcel, bordered by Interstate 80, Antelope Road, and a Goodwill Express location.

    According to a letter submitted to the city by Quick Quack, the proposed car wash would use water reclamation technology to minimize waste, with approximately 12 gallons of water being treated and sent to the sewer for each vehicle. Operating hours are proposed to be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with shorter hours on Sundays and winter season.

    Extensive documentation about noise from dryers and other equipment is also listed in the packet, and the car wash would be required to follow the city’s noise ordinance. The area’s neighborhood association did not raise any concerns about the proposal, according to the city.

    The April 12 planning commission meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at city hall, located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.

    Want to share your thoughts on developments in Citrus Heights? Click here to submit a letter-to-the-editor for publication.

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  • Citrus Heights This Week: what’s happening in town (Feb. 22-27)

    Citrus Heights This Week: what’s happening in town (Feb. 22-27)

    Updated Feb. 22, 10:55 a.m.–
    Local events going on this week in Citrus Heights include two public hearings, LEGO Mania at the library, several community meetings, and Beer Week kicking off at Alley Katz. Here’s what’s on schedule:

    TUESDAY, Feb. 23–
    RT Forum. Sacramento Regional Transit will hold a forum at the Citrus Heights Community Center to gather community input on a proposal to raise transit fares. The proposed increase would change the price of passes, stickers and fares, with the cost of a basic single fare rising from $2.50 to $3.00, and the price of a discount single fare from $1.25 to $1.50. The forum will be held from noon to 7 p.m., at 6300 Fountain Square Dr. A survey can also be taken online. (Survey link)

    WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24–
    Planning Commission meeting. Two public hearings are set to take place Wednesday night, beginning at 7 p.m. The first hearing regards several amendments to the Auburn Boulevard Plan, which planning department staff believe will help fill vacancies and “introduce vibrant, active uses” on a portion of Auburn Boulevard. Amendments would relax certain use permit requirements and also offer more flexible options for businesses to meet parking requirements.

    The second public hearing regards the In & Go Market at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fair Oaks Blvd., which has requested to expand its square footage and add distilled spirits to its list of beverages sold. (See agenda here)

    THURSDAY, Feb. 25–
    LEGO Mania. Sylvan Oaks Library will host a free “LEGO Mania” event for kids, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The library is located at 6700 Auburn Blvd. (Read more)

    City Council meeting. Council members will hold a special study session to discuss new city hall fountains at 6 p.m., followed by the regular council meeting at 7 p.m. During the regular meeting, council members are scheduled to hear several reports, including an annual crime report from the Citrus Heights Police Department.  The council is also scheduled to make an appointment to fill a vacancy on the City’s History and Arts Commission, as well as hear a department report on a “City Awareness Campaign.” (See agenda here)

    Beer Week. The new Alley Katz in the Citrus Town Center will be hosting “Beer Week” from Feb. 25 through March 6. On schedule are various competitions, “tap take-overs,” beer trivia, and prizes. Alley Katz is located at 7942 Arcadia Dr. (Link)

    FRIDAY, Feb. 26–
    Community meeting.
    County Sup. Roberta MacGlashan is scheduled to hold a “community cabinet” meeting at the Denny’s restaurant on Sunrise Boulevard near Greenback Lane, with guest speaker Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. The supervisor’s monthly meetings are held at 7:30 a.m. on the fourth Friday of most months, and typically feature a guest speaker and a county government update from MacGlashan.

    [Don’t see an event you think should be on here? Local events can be submitted via our contact page.]

  • Citrus Heights seeks to attract craft breweries; drops permit req

    Craft beer, citrus heights breweries, permit
    The City of Citrus Heights recently dropped a use-permit requirement for brew pubs locating in commercial areas. Photo courtesy, Uri Tours (uritours.com) [CC BY-SA 2.0]
    Following the growing popularity of craft beer in the region, the City of Citrus Heights is seeking to attract brew pubs to its commercial areas by amending zoning codes and removing a previously required $5,400 regulatory permit for small breweries.

    “Brew pubs are the most popular trend to introduce locally brewed beer to a community,” said Citrus Heights Associate Planner Alison Bermudez in a press release issued by the City this month. “We wanted to encourage new and expanding breweries to make Citrus Heights their home and become part of our vibrant community.”

    Now only requiring a simple business license from the City in order to open up shop, a brew pub would previously have had to acquire a “use permit” from the City — a three to five month-long process involving a public hearing, planning commission approval, and an approximate $5,400 permit cost, according to City Development Specialist Devon Rodriguez.

    Unanimously approved last month by city council members, the amended zoning code now distinguishes “brew pubs” from “bars” by defining them as facilities that produce and serve their own beer on-site, have annual production less than 5,000 barrels, and close no later than 11 p.m. on weekends and 10 p.m. on weekdays. Those meeting this definition now have a right to locate anywhere in the City’s commercial areas and can also serve food — but those seeking later hours or additional production will still need to acquire a use permit, according to a planning division report. Additional licensing from the state and a food permit from the County are also still required.

    [Document: Read full zoning code changes from July council meeting agenda]

    The code amendment also reclassified “taverns” to be distinct from “bars,” allowing such businesses to open up locations in commercial zones without a use permit as well, as long as they adhere to the same requirements. Taverns are defined similarly to brew pubs, except they do not produce their own beer on site.

    City staff said they worked closely with the Citrus Heights Police Department while crafting the changes and said police were supportive, in light of the restricted night-time operating hours and the nature of brew pubs and taverns being gathering places.

    The growing demand for craft beer in the region was highlighted by an August MarketWatch report that listed Sacramento as the fifth largest consumer of craft beer in the nation, with local brew representing 33 percent of all beer sold in the city. The number of breweries in California also increased by over 20 percent in 2014, according to planning division staff.

    Citrus Heights council members began formal discussion on craft beer regulations at a February 26 study session led by Bermudez, who provided the council with an overview of craft beer, along with trends and statistics related to the industry, according to official minutes from the session.

    Previously lacking a clear definition of where a brew pub could locate within the City, the planning division received council approval to review land use and zoning codes in order to offer a more business-friendly environment and allow the City to “capture the proven economic and social benefit” involved. A set of streamlined and simplified regulatory changes were then approved by the planning commission in June and city council in July.

    Rodriguez said the process went “very smoothly” and received no public comment or opposition during hearings at the planning commission and city council meetings.

    [You may also like: New Citrus Heights retail, restaurants planned for Auburn Blvd]

    City staff are currently aware of at least one brewery interested in opening a Citrus Heights location, and a new Alley Katz “craft beer and grill” is expected to open soon in the Citrus Town Center — although it will not be producing its own beer on site, according to Rodriguez.
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