Front view rendering of the new city hall, presented in March by Capital Partners Development Co.
The City of Citrus Heights will be kicking off construction of its new $22 million city hall building with a groundbreaking ceremony July 15 at the site of the new location next to the Post Office on Fountain Square Drive.
The one-hour Wednesday ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., with the community invited to “join the City of Citrus Heights to celebrate the beginning of construction on the new city hall facility,” according to a post on the City’s online calendar. The ceremony will take place at 6360 Fountain Square Dr.
The new city hall project was approved unanimously by city council members in March of this year, along with a related project to allow Dignity Health to tear down the old city hall and construct a new three-story medical office building in its place, at the corner of Fountain Square Drive and Greenback Lane.
During construction, which is estimated to take just over a year, city hall offices will temporarily be located near Rusch Park in the Grand Oaks Shopping Center, located at 7927 Auburn Blvd.
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The new temporary home for Citrus Heights City Hall will be located in the Grand Oaks Shopping Center on Auburn Boulevard.
Citrus Heights’ city hall offices will be relocating to a 12,500 square feet temporary facility on Auburn Boulevard this month, closing doors to the public after July 2 and reopening at the new location on July 13.
The move comes after city council members approved a plan in March to tear down the existing city hall on Fountain Square Drive and allow Dignity Health to construct a three-story medical office building in its place, with a new $22 million city hall to be constructed just a block away next to the Post Office.
The temporary location for city hall will be at 7927 Auburn Blvd in the Grand Oaks Shopping Center, near Rusch Park. The location was preferred due to its size, commercial location and convenient access, according to an April report to the council by City Facilities and Landscape Manager Chris Meyers.
As previously reported on The Sentinel, the 13-month lease agreement for the temporary hall will cost a total of about $190,000 and includes an option for up to three two-month extensions, according Meyers. Although the new city hall is expected to be completed in 12 to 14 months, the extension options allow for any delays in the process, according to Monica Alejandrez with the city manager’s office.
While staff transition to the temporary location, city hall will operate out of the Citrus Heights Community Center from July 6 to 10, according to a news release issued by the City.
An artistic rendering of the new $22 million Citrus Heights city hall, to be located just North of the Post Office. // Courtesy, Capital Partners Development Co.
Updated Mar. 27, 2:26 p.m. —
Citrus Heights council members voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a long-debated $53 million proposal to tear down and relocate the City’s existing hall and replace it with a three-story medical office building (MOB) — rejecting a proposal and lawsuit threat by a resident group proposing a less-imposing two-story design.
“Mr. Hill, I’m sorry that you feel the way you feel,” Councilman Jeff Slowey told Norman Hill, who heads the resident group Preserve Our Civic Center. “But threats, they don’t bother me in the least bit. If you wanna go to court I say bring it on — but bring your checkbook.”
Hill, a retired environmental attorney, has promised litigation in the past and reiterated his “compromise” offer Thursday night, which seeks to lessen the environmental and visibility impacts of the proposed medical building by increasing the setback away from Greenback, and lowering the height. He said by adopting his proposal, the City could avoid litigation and still get a new hall and two-story medical building.
“I recommend that you take a hard look at this proposal, or we will meet again to discuss it at a settlement conference in a CEQA lawsuit,” Hill told council members prior to the vote, referencing requirements in the California Environmental Quality Act he says the City hasn’t met.
City staff and council members believe the City has followed CEQA requirements, with environmental consultant Katherine Waugh addressing findings covered in a several-hundred page Environmental Impact Report on the project. Waugh told council members the report found “no significant effects” to the environment on either of the building projects – as long as a list of mitigation measures are followed.
Hill’s proposal was given significant discussion during the three-and-a-half-hour hearing Thursday night, but City staff said it wouldn’t work for parking, due to the larger footprint being required to maintain the building’s square footage with a two-story design. Legally, the City requires one parking spot per 225 square feet, and staff said that doesn’t allow for enough parking with Hill’s proposal.
Hill said the City could gain extra parking needed by utilizing its new Green Parking Lot and modifying the police department parking area, although Police Chief Christopher Boyd told the council such an arrangement would not be “workable” or safe for his department’s need for secured parking.
Although about half-a-dozen residents spoke out against the project during the hearing, Councilman Steve Miller said public comment has “flipped” from being 9-out-of-10 opposed to the project, after the City switched its focus away from a smaller hall location on Antelope Road last year.
Lead opponent Tim Schaefer commented in past meetings that the new 10.9-acre Stock Property is “a super-positive development” for the hall proposal, and others have commented favorably that the new location would keep City services in close proximity off Fountain Square Drive. The Stock Property is located just a half-block away from the existing hall, and staff say it’s large enough to allow for a utility yard and future expansion.
Concerns about increased traffic, a shrinking $26 million City reserve, and construction noise have continued to be raised by opponents, while supporters have billed the project as good for jobs and a cost-efficient way to replace an aging hall without incurring debt. The project was supported Thursday night by representatives from the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Sunrise Marketplace business improvement district.
“I think the time is right, the price is right,” said Councilman Miller prior to casting his vote in favor of the proposal, adding that it’s still an “emotional” decision for him. “I imagine if we bring this place down I’ll shed a few tears, but this is an opportunity for growth for our city and renewal.”
Miller acknowledged the new three-story medical building would make for a “stark” transition from Greenback Lane’s residential zone into its commercial zone, but said “I think this is just too good of a deal to pass up.”
That deal was described by Monica Alejandrez, assistant to the city manager, as “an extremely rare opportunity” for the City, resulting in a “direct investment” of $53 million into Citrus Heights. She said the hall is estimated to cost “no more than $22 million,” with Dignity Health’s new medical building costing about $31 million.
Under the terms of the deal approved Thursday, Alejandrez said the net impact of the new hall to the City’s general fund will only be about $8.9 million after 15 years, largely due to $6.9 million in lease payments coming from the medical building, as well as projected energy savings from a new, more efficient facility.
That $6.9 million lease payment from Dignity Health, as well as the promise of 170 new medical-related jobs, has been a significant consideration factor since the deal began being discussed in 2013.
“When you can get more than a fourth of [the new hall] paid for, I think that’s a good deal,” said Councilman Slowey during the meeting. He added that the new hall wouldn’t be under consideration at this point without the Dignity Health lease offer being made on the City’s property. Staff said the assessed value of the existing hall has dropped from a high of over $5 million, to a most recent low point of under $2 million in 2014.
Council members acknowledged both pros and cons to the project, but Mayor Sue Frost said she “doesn’t see how the negatives even stack up” in comparison.
“I think the positives way outweigh the negatives for our City to bring Dignity [Health] to Citrus Heights,” said Frost, although acknowledging that feedback from residents has helped improve the project’s design and location.
“I do want to thank all of our residents who have engaged in the public process,” said Frost, referencing comments received since discussion began about the project more than a year ago. “Without you it wouldn’t have the face that it has, and it wouldn’t be as good as it is.”
Following Thursday’s vote, Frost said leases will be executed and City staff will begin searching for a temporary location, with demolition and construction work beginning as early as this summer.
Updated Mar. 12, 3:48 p.m.–
Despite the threat of litigation from a resident group Wednesday night, the Citrus Heights Planning Commission voted 5-1 in favor of recommending the city council approve a proposal to tear down the existing city hall, replace it with a 68,000 square feet medical office building (MOB), and build a new $22 million hall just north of the Post Office.
Norman Hill, with the resident group Preserve Our Civic Center, addresses planning commissioners Wednesday night.
“None of us will ever, ever be able to make all of the people happy all of the time,” Planning Commission Chairman Rick Doyle said just prior to the vote, adding his fellow commissioners should not make their decision based on “threats or innuendos.”
Doyle was joined by Commissioner Russell Blair in a yes vote, citing belief of a recent positive shift in public support for the proposal. Blair held up a stack of documents that included a record of over 100 public comments received, stating a majority of recent comments were in support of the proposal, following the city council dropping plans to move city hall to a site on Antelope Road last year.
Doyle and Blair were also joined in support votes by Commissioners Christy DeCelle, Albert Fox and Michael Lagomarsino, with Trish Dawson supporting an alternative that would rehabilitate the existing city hall and allow Dignity Health to develop its medical building on the 10.9-acre “Stock Property” next to the Post Office instead. Commissioner Leah Cox was absent.
Although several building alternatives were considered during the preparation of a several hundred page Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the study found the current proposal would create “no significant effects” to the environment, after mitigation measures. According to a staff report delivered to commissioners Wednesday night, under the California Environmental Quality Act, an alternative is only required if “significant and unavoidable impacts” are found.
Compared to controversial, crowded meetings last year, public comment was noticeably lower, with just eight speakers making their voice heard on Wednesday.
Two City staff members gave comment in support for the proposal, citing aging and inefficient existing city hall facilities, while business leaders from the Chamber of Commerce and Sunrise Marketplace said the deal would bring an economic boost and “help draw new tenants to our retail corridor.”
Beryl Turner-Weeks, who lives “across the street” from the proposed new hall, reiterated comments residents have had in the past about project cost in light of a shrinking $26 million city reserve, as well as increased construction noise and traffic — although a traffic study report by Fehr and Peers found the proposal would not create a significant increase to traffic in the area.
Resident and retired environmental attorney Norman Hill told commissioners that his group, Preserve Our Civic Center, was “ready and willing to pursue litigation,” but proposed an acceptable compromise that would lessen the visibility impacts of the MOB by lowering it from three stories down to two, and increasing the setback away from Greenback Lane. Hill’s “olive branch” compromise, was rejected by Dignity Health’s Sigrid Owyang, who said the current three-story design maximizes parking spaces, is more “comfortable” for patients, and has been tested elsewhere.
Preserve Our Civic Center previously threatened litigation over the Antelope Road location for city hall, causing council members to vote 3-2 to put a hold on the plans in July last year, adopting the new 10.9-acre Stock Property as the “preferred site” several months later. Hill said POCC is hopeful a compromise can be met that would likewise avoid litigation in this case as well.
Discussion of the proposal came about last year when City officials said Dignity Health proposed a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get a new hall for a net cost of about $5 million, after 15 years. Due to changes in the new hall’s proposed location, that net cost is now estimated at $8.9 million, according to Monica Alejandrez, assistant to the city manager.
Cost benefits to the City would come primarily from income brought in by the proposed Dignity Health lease, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
While the planning commission’s vote only sends a recommendation on to the city council, a final vote on the proposal has been set for a city council meeting on March 26, where opponents pledge to pack the meeting out.
“I don’t pull out the big guns for every meeting,” said Tim Schaefer, who heads the resident group Save City Hall. “But I can guarantee you that this room will be packed for the council meeting.”
Computer rendering of Dignity Health’s proposed new three-story medical office building on Greenback Lane.
Updated Jan. 31, 11:55 p.m.– With open doors for community rentals and use since 2010, the Citrus Heights Community Center celebrated five years and nearly 5,000 events on January 25 this year.
Citrus Heights Community Center, stock photo. //Citrus Heights Sentinel
“[The] Community Center is one of Citrus Heights’ great success stories,” said Mayor Sue Frost, crediting the City Manager Henry Tingle and other staff for their involvement. “Our City saved and planned over time, and then paid cash for a facility that has become known in the region as one of the premier event venues.”
Envisioned since the inception of the City, the 29,000-square-foot $14 million Center features a reception hall holding nearly a thousand people, a large kitchen, senior center, patio and several smaller rooms.
Along with a fountain and palm trees near its Fountain Square Drive entrance, a dedication plaque outside the Center commemorates the community’s volunteers with a quote reading, “What volunteers bring is the human touch, the individual, caring approach that no government program, however well-meaning and well-executed, can deliver.”
The Community Center’s entertaining areas and rooms can accommodate events from 12 to 966 people, making it “the perfect venue” for birthdays, parties, luncheons, dinners and other large gatherings, according to a brochure. In the past, it’s also been used to host large weddings, annual crab feeds, various town hall meetings, and the memorial for fallen Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver.
The Center offers discounted rentals for Citrus Heights residents, with costs ranging from $45 an hour for a small room, up to $175 an hour to rent the full 11,000-square-foot reception hall — with catering options and event packages available as well. For non-residents, the hourly rates are slightly higher, ranging from $50 to $200, according the Center’s advertised rates.
A total of 4,796 events have been hosted in the Community Center, according to staff, with more added every week.
updated 12:17 p.m. –
A controversial proposal to relocate city hall picked up community support last night as the City presented a new site option located a block away from the existing hall, but many residents remained staunchly opposed to a related proposal to construct a three-story medical building “monstrosity” in place of the existing hall.
An artistic rendering of a proposed new design for city hall by Capital Partners Development Co.
“We had some really good input,” said City Manager Henry Tingle, commenting after Wednesday’s community meeting which was attended by about 150 residents. “There’s no question that we had an overwhelming consensus that the new site that we’re proposing is much better (than the previously proposed site on Antelope Road).”
About a dozen residents spoke during the evening’s question and answer period, with comments describing the proposed design as “beautiful” and “far-superior,” thanking the City for listening to resident complaints about the Antelope Road site being too far from the “heart” of the city.
The presentation of the new single-story hall design was delivered by Rod Johnson of Capital Partners Development Co., who said he pitched the idea to the City Manager after reading last month about the city council’s decision to take “no action” on plans to move forward at the Antelope Road site, following a lawsuit threat. He said his company was hoping to turn the 10.9-acre site into a new housing development with 160-unit multi-family townhomes, but that a deal they were working on recently “went away.” The parcel is currently zoned RD-20 for medium density residential, and would need to be re-zoned in order for the hall to be built there.
With colorful artistic renderings and slides, Johnson explained his proposal would turn the triangle-shaped property adjacent to the Post Office from a field of weeds into a 35,000 square feet city hall, with plenty of room for parking, expansion and a 1.5-acre corp yard for City vehicles — options unavailable at the smaller Antelope Road site. He also said his “build-to-suit” proposal would cost about the same as the estimated $18.9 million to build at the Antelope Road site.
Johnson acknowledged the site has some downsides, citing its protected “wetlands” areas which he said would likely limit development on portions of the land, and also some traffic difficulties on the 2-lane Fountain Square Drive in front of the site — although he said traffic would be significantly lower with a city hall than with townhomes.
Johnson’s presentation left even the most staunch opponents of moving city hall more open to the idea, although many still opposed the related plan to allow Dignity Health to construct a 68,000 square feet medical office building in place of the existing hall.
“This is a super positive development,” said Tim Schaefer, who has been a lead voice in opposing plans to move city hall and also initiated the lawsuit threat to stop the City from building at Antelope Road. He balanced his remarks with a caution that the City should fully research the new proposal, asking “what’s the rush?”
Concerns voiced during the meeting over the medical building revolved largely around increased traffic on Greenback Lane and its 57-foot height, which one resident called a “monstrosity” that would invade privacy in nearby homes, since backyards would be visible from the three-story structure.
Resident Sally Smith said she appreciated the City responding to concerns about the Antelope Road hall site, but felt the City is not listening to concerns about the proposed medical building site. She would prefer to have the medical building in another location, but said a lower, two-story design would help alleviate some privacy concerns at its currently proposed location at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive.
Another criticism of the medical building was offered by Schaefer who said the City would be better off selling the existing property to a for-profit business, since Dignity Health would not be paying property tax as a non-profit hospital – an amount he says could be as high as $400,000 a year on a $30 million building.
Although the existing property has been assessed in the $1 million price range, the Dignity Health proposal would allow for the City to gain a much higher amount of $6.9 million from a 15-year lease, helping subsidize the cost of a new hall.
City officials have called the Dignity Health proposal a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get an $18.9 million new hall for an estimated net cost of about $5 million. The discounted cost would come primarily from income brought in by the proposed Dignity Health lease, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to the City Manager.
Tingle also responded afterward to an accusation that a new hall is unnecessary, based on a 2014 Appraisal Report which gives the existing hall a remaining 30-year life.
“If you continue to spend money, you can keep any building going for 30 years,” said Tingle, likening it to fixing up an old car rather than replacing it. He argued that it would be more cost effective in the long run to build a new hall and sell the existing property, acknowledging during his public comments that even if the deal with Dignity Health fell through, there are “other funding opportunities” for a new city hall.
Staff said they will be asking the city council next week to declare the Stock Property as the “preferred site” for a new hall, focusing attention away from Antelope Road and authorizing a full Environmental Impact Report on the new site.
To discuss a new development in the controversial plan to relocate city hall and allow construction of a three-story medical building in its place, the City of Citrus Heights will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. tonight to gather community input and provide more information about a newly offered alternative site for the hall.
An aerial map released by the City, showing the proposed new location for city hall in proximity to existing City buildings.
“While some public comments have been favorable as to the potential new City Hall site on Antelope Road, others have expressed a strong desire to keep City Hall near the other city facilities, such as the Community Center and Police Department,” the City said in an informational flier, announcing that Capital Partners Development Co. had recently made a 10-acre parcel off Fountain Square Drive available to the City.
As the new offer would keep city hall within a block of its current location, it is expected to alleviate some concerns raised by residents about the previously proposed Antelope Road location conflicting with Goal 21 of the General Plan, which says the City is to “Concentrate government uses at a civic center complex that provides residents and businesses easy and efficient access to a range of government services.”
The new location is still drawing criticism from residents however, with the grassroots group “Save City Hall” promising to show up in force tonight.
“There appears to be another huge push to sell the Citrus Heights city hall property,” said Tim Schaefer of Save City Hall in a press release sent out this morning. “What’s the rush?”
The group previously submitted over 1300 signatures from residents opposed to moving the hall, and is not backing away from its previous threat of an environmental lawsuit if requirements from the California Environmental Quality Act are not met.
City officials have called the potential for a new hall a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get an $18.9 million new hall for an estimated net cost of about $5 million, according to numbers released by the City. The discounted cost would come primarily from income brought in by a proposed $6.9 million lease to Dignity Health for constructing the medical building, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
City staff say they plan to bring the new site offer before the city council next week, after gathering community input at tonight’s meeting,
