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Tag: Dan Chiavario

  • More changes underway at Copperwood Square in Citrus Heights

    Planet Fitness
    Construction work can be seen as Planet Fitness expands in the Copperwood Shopping Plaza. // M. Hazlip

    By Mike Hazlip—
    Demolition work inside the former Hometown Buffet at 7016 Sunrise Blvd. is almost complete, as part of the latest changes at the Copperwood Square shopping plaza in Citrus Heights.

    Lynn Wilkinson, project superintendent for RCP Construction, told The Sentinel on Tuesday the current expansion project for Planet Fitness is expected to be completed in February or March of next year. Wilkinson said construction is planned in two phases, with the first phase slated to be completed by Christmas this year.

    Planet Fitness plans to pause work for about a month in January, according to Wilkinson. The current gym space is also scheduled for a remodel once the new space is complete, he said.

    The former Home Town Buffet space has remained vacant since the restaurant closed four years ago.

    Dan Chiavario, principal/director of operations for Strategic Asset Management Group, which manages Copperwood Square, told The Sentinel last year that Planet Fitness had signed a new 12-year lease for the site, which includes expanding its current location in the center to include the former buffet location.

    Chiavario said the fitness center has planned a complete remodel that will include a “Black Card” area, which typically offers additional amenities, such as massage chairs and discounts. He said the additions will make the gym “the nicest one in Citrus Heights.”

    Planet Fitness spokesperson Becky Zirlen, told The Sentinel previously the timeline for planned improvements was pushed back because of the impacts of COVID-19. The New Hampshire-based fitness corporation has more than 2,000 locations and 14.4 million members globally, according to a news release on the company’s website.

    In an email update last month, Chiavario said once construction is completed for Planet Fitness, there are plans to redo all of the monument signs, landscaping and parking lot. “We look forward to making Copperwood Square a premier, neighborhood shopping destination,” he said.

    Other recent changes at the plaza include the opening of a Starbucks drive-thru earlier this year, as well as a recent lease extension for Dollar Tree and sales reportedly increasing by “a double digit percentage” at Foodmaxx, according to Chiavario.

  • Here’s what’s coming to the old Hometown Buffet in Citrus Heights

    The former Hometown Buffet location at 7028 Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights has been vacant since 2016. // Mike Hazlip

    By Mike Hazlip–
    Following its closure nearly four years ago, the former Hometown Buffet location in Citrus Heights has remained dormant. But that will be changing, according to the shopping center’s property manager.

    Dan Chiavario, principal/director of operations for Strategic Asset Management Group, which manages the Copperwood Square shopping center in Citrus Heights, told The Sentinel in an email Wednesday that Planet Fitness has signed a new 12-year lease for the site, which includes expanding its current location in the center to include the former buffet location.

    Chiavario said the fitness center has planned a complete remodel that will include a “Black Card” area, which typically offers additional amenities, such as massage chairs and discounts. He said the additions will make the gym “the nicest one in Citrus Heights.”

    Becky Zirlen, spokesperson for Planet Fitness, told The Sentinel in an email Thursday the timeline for planned improvements has been pushed back because of the impacts of COVID-19. Zirlen said she didn’t have a firm timeline for when the expansion project will take place.

    The New Hampshire-based fitness corporation has more than 2,000 locations and 14.4 million members globally, according to a news release on the company’s website. The gym’s Citrus Heights location has been closed since mid-March due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to a notice posted on the front door.

    Chiavario said his management firm is working with tenants who have lost income due to economic shutdowns on a case-by-base basis.

    The shopping center is located on Sunrise Boulevard near Sungarden Drive, and is also home to FoodMaxx, and several restaurants and other businesses. Upgrades for the center slated for completion this year include new LED lighting for buildings and the parking lot, as well as upgraded landscaping, pylon signage, and pavement resurfacing, according to Chiavario.

    Also planned at a separately owned parcel adjacent to the shopping center is a new 7,759-square-foot retail building at the site of a former bank building that was demolished earlier this year.

    According to Dan Goalwin, director of architectural services for Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc., the project “is proceeding ahead.” On Sunday he said a construction start date is still to be determined.

    Related: New retail plaza, drive-thru approved at former bank site on Sunrise Blvd

  • Junk pile quickly cleaned up at Citrus Heights shopping center

    A photo taken Wednesday shows a cleaned up area where a junk pile had been recently dumped in the Copperwood Square shopping center. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    A pile of personal belongings, furniture and trash has disappeared from a shopping center in Citrus Heights, with only some shards of broken glass and a few scattered papers remaining on the ground.

    The Sentinel published a story on Sunday about resident concerns regarding the pile, and Citrus Heights police said code enforcement was involved. By Tuesday afternoon the pile was gone.

    From Sunday: Junk pile in Citrus Heights shopping center raises concerns from residents

    Dan Chiavario of the San Diego-based Strategic Asset Management Group, which manages the Copperwood Square shopping center, said he had authorized cleanup of the pile after being contacted by The Sentinel over the weekend. He said new protocols are now in place to ensure any future dumping is cleaned up “asap.”

    “Unfortunately, during times of economic downturn these types of things occur and the pandemic has caused more than I’ve ever seen,” said Chiavario.

    Citrus Heights Police Lt. Michael Wells said Wednesday that notices from code enforcement were sent to the property owner and confirmed the pile had been cleaned up. He said the property owner also plans to temporarily fence off the area “to prevent future issues.”

    An adjacent property at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive remains fenced off, following demolition of a former bank building at the site earlier this year. The location is separately owned from the shopping center and is slated for new construction of a retail center that will reportedly include a Starbucks drive-thru.

    The Copperwood Square shopping center is home to FoodMaxx, a liquor store, several restaurants, and Planet Fitness. Chiavario said the fitness center recently signed a 12-year lease to expand its location to take up the former Hometown Buffet restaurant, which closed in 2016.

    Upgrades for the center slated for completion this year include new LED lighting for buildings and the parking lot, as well as upgraded landscaping, pylon signage, and pavement resurfacing, according to Chiavario.

    A photo taken on May 28 shows a pile of junk and personal belongings that had been dumped in the Copperwood Square Shopping Plaza parking lot. // Mike Hazlip