Applebee’s, stock photo. By Anthony92931 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia CommonsEver wonder when those empty lots in front of the Auburn Boulevard Costco and Walmart would be filled?
Plans to bring a new 5,400 square feet Applebee’s restaurant to the Stock Ranch Plaza in Citrus Heights are currently under way, with a company executive saying the new location should open by the end of this year.
“We are excited to open our Applebee’s in Citrus Heights as it offers excellent demographics for our brand,” said Monty Davis, the market president for Apple NorCal which operates 37 Applebee’s locations in Northern California.
City Manager Henry Tingle told a group of residents at an Area 11 neighborhood meeting last month he was glad to see development in the works for the spot in front of Costco. Asked about the other empty lots in front of Walmart, he said there are several current offers for the other pads available on the Stock Ranch Plaza, but was unable to disclose their names as “they are in negotiation with the owners of the property.”
Davis said applications for managers at the new location are currently being accepted, and the hiring process for staff will begin in October.
[follow text=”Follow local news:”]
Applebee’s “neighborhood bar & grill” markets itself as a casual-dining, family-friendly restaurant, and has grown to almost 2,000 locations since launching nearly 30 years ago.
A 22-year-old man was sent to the hospital in critical condition Saturday night, after Citrus Heights police said he was hit by a car at 40-miles-an-hour while attempting to cross Auburn Boulevard outside of a crosswalk.
Officers closed down northbound lanes on Auburn Boulevard after a pedestrian was struck by a car, Saturday night.
Sergeant Mike Wells said the collision occurred around 7 p.m. Saturday, when a Toyota Matrix hit the man in the northbound lanes of Auburn Boulevard, near the intersection of Twin Oaks Avenue. The collision caused police to shut down both northbound lanes for about five hours, re-opening traffic just before 1 a.m. Sunday, according to an email advisory sent out by police dispatchers.
Wells said the pedestrian was able to cross southbound lanes successfully before being struck in the northbound lanes, resulting in “major injuries.” Significant damage on the Toyota’s driver-side bumper and fender area was noticeable at the accident scene.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, according to Wells, but neither speed nor alcohol appear to be a factor.
Wells said the Department “would like to remind all pedestrians to not cross the street outside of a marked crosswalk or controlled intersection.”
With the first phase of Auburn Boulevard’s multi-million dollar revitalization effort completed last year, input is being sought at a business meeting this week to help plan “Phase II” of the multi-year face-lift.
‘Phase I’ construction work shown on Auburn Boulevard during in 2014.
Authorized in 2005, the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project envisioned a revitalized and enhanced section of Auburn Boulevard, from Sylvan corners to Interstate 80 — a corridor that is home to over 200 businesses. Phase 1 work included undergrounding utility wires, adding bus pull-outs and nearly 10,000 feet of bike lanes and sidewalks, planting 230 new street trees, and installing energy-efficient street lights.
Due to the size and scope of the effort, the nearly 2-mile long project was broken into two phases, with Phase 1 covering the section from Sylvan corners to just beyond Antelope Road, and Phase 2 covering the remaining section up to Interstate 80.
After seeking input last year from the Boulevard’s business owners during a “Business Walk” hosted by the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce and the City, a follow-up business meeting has been scheduled for January 13.
“Do you want to meet fellow business and property owners and learn how to work together to create a vision for Auburn Boulevard?” a Chamber flier for the upcoming meeting asks, mentioning appetizers and drinks will be served. “Please join us on January 13 to learn about different options available to help business and property owners create a vision and work toward common goals.”
About $16.8 million has been spent on the revitalization effort so far, with Phase II construction still not set to begin for “several years,” due to “significant right-of-way acquisition, design and engineering,” according to the City’s website.
—
If you plan to go:
Auburn Blvd Business Meeting
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Capitol Mechanical
7300 Auburn Blvd.
With trumpets blaring and drums rolling, about 30 members of the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band filled the Auburn Boulevard Walmart with sounds of Christmas for about half an hour, Saturday, as surprised shoppers looked on.
“I think it’s great that we have a community marching band,” said Walmart shopper Rita Fox, highlighting the diverse ages of band members. “It gives the older people a chance to mingle with the younger people.”
Parading through the isles in a circle inside the store shortly after 11 a.m., band members assembled near the entrance to play several more songs, while many onlookers took video on cellphones.
“It sounds very nice, just a little loud — you know, marching bands in the store,” said Liz Rohan of Citrus Heights, who stopped by to watch the group play tunes like “Silent Night,” and “Jolly ol’ Saint Nicholas.”
A Walmart manager said most customers “seemed to enjoy it,” adding the flash mob “definitely spreads the holiday joy.”
Similar events have taken place across the country in recent years after videos of different groups surprising shoppers have gone viral online, with others following with their own versions of the seasonal singing-surprise.
The Citrus Heights Community Marching Band is an all-volunteer group sponsored by the City of Citrus Heights and the Sunrise Recreation & Park District.
Council members, business owners and other elected officials gathered Tuesday morning to celebrate the completion of “Phase 1” of Auburn Boulevard improvement work.
Council members, business owners and representatives from government agencies gathered Tuesday morning to celebrate the long-awaited completion of “Phase 1” of Auburn Boulevard improvement work.
Business owners present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were particularly glad for the completion of the project, and expressed hope for increased business now that new sidewalks are open, power lines are under-grounded and lanes are no longer closed.
“I’m glad it’s done,” said business owner Rocky Moffitt, whose 7440 Club took a hit during the road work outside his doors. “The construction actually has hurt my business during the daytime… but overall it looks great. I love the finished project.”
Authorized in 2005, the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project envisioned a revitalized and enhanced section of Auburn Boulevard, from Sylvan corners to Interstate 80 — a corridor that is home to over 200 businesses. Due to the size and scope of the effort, the nearly 2-mile long project was broken into two phases, with Phase 1 covering the section from Sylvan corners to just beyond Antelope Road, and Phase 2 covering the remaining section up to Interstate 80.
“We’re not done yet,” said Citrus Heights Mayor Mel Turner at the event, referring to the upcoming work on “Phase II.” “But this is a huge step in the right direction.”
‘Phase II’ of the project has already received some funding for design work, according to Community and Economic Development Director Rhonda Sherman, and City staff are currently preparing to enter the design stage for this final phase.
Questions about the project can be directed to ABCTeam@citrusheights.net or (916) 727-4770. Updates are also available online at http://www.ABCupdate.net.
If you travel on Auburn Boulevard between 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., you may want to consider using another route this week, in light of night paving work that will limit traffic to one lane in each direction.
The paving work is part of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project, and will affect traffic on Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners to Sycamore Drive.
A press release sent out by the City of Citrus Heights said the night paving work is scheduled to take place between the night of Tuesday, June 10, to the morning of Friday, June 13. The release also said that patience is appreciated from those affected by the work.
Questions or concerns about the project can be directed to the City’s General Services Department at (916) 727-4770.
Temporary signs put up during construction hope to encourage shoppers to visit businesses on Auburn Blvd.
The first phase of a revitalization effort for Auburn Boulevard is on schedule for completion this summer, with sidewalks scheduled to be done by the beginning of June, and plans underway for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Authorized in 2005, the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project envisioned a revitalized and enhanced section of Auburn Boulevard, from Sylvan corners to Interstate 80. The nearly 2-mile long project was broken into two phases, with Phase 1 covering the section from Sylvan corners to just beyond Antelope Road, and Phase 2 covering the remaining section up to Interstate 80.
According to the City’s website, the project is “the largest capital improvement project the City has undertaken,” with segments two and three of Phase 1 running about $21 million to complete.
Although hardest to obtain, funding isn’t the only challenge the City has faced in the project.
“The revitalization of Auburn Boulevard is one of the City’s most challenging projects to date,” said Development Specialist Devon Rodriguez, explaining the difficulties of designing and engineering, environmental work, and acquiring right-of-way with property owners – all of which must occur before starting construction.
Although hoping for a boost in business when complete, the construction work necessary to get there has caused a decline in customers for many of the 200 local businesses on Auburn Boulevard.
“It’s killing our business,” said Norca Army Navy Surplus Assistant Manager Vanessa McGuire about the construction outside her Auburn Boulevard store. “People don’t wanna come down this street because traffic’s so bad – they want to avoid it.”
On the positive side, she’s happy that the project undergrounded electrical utilities in front of her store, and expressed relief that business would pick up once construction finishes – although she’s skeptical the project will stay on schedule.
The City acknowledges the problem construction poses for businesses in a 3-page “Toolkit” produced for Auburn Boulevard businesses, calling it a “temporary inconvenience.” The flier stresses, however, that it will “ultimately result in a vastly improved business corridor.”
In addition to construction signs announcing that businesses are open during construction, the City also held weekly “coffee meet-ups” to discuss concerns and needs of business owners affected by the project, but meetings were discontinued this month due to the project nearing completion.
Phase 2 recently receiving grant funding to begin preliminary work, but Rodriguez said construction isn’t likely to begin until 2018, depending on available funding and negotiations with property owners.
