Studio Movie Grill, file photo of Rocklin location. // CH Sentinel
Sentinel staff report–
Plans for the old Kmart lot in Citrus Heights now include a 50,000-square-foot Studio Movie Grill, along with Big Lots and several other small pads for lease.
An application detailing the new plans was submitted last week to the city, proposing to “remodel and re-purpose an existing vacant building into a movie theatre,” according to the city’s planning division. The massive 90,000-square-feet former Kmart building at 8501 Auburn Blvd. has been vacant since closing last April and has generated significant interest in the community on what would replace the old store.
Earlier plans included a large Rebounderz trampoline arena, but Senior Planner Casey Kempenaar said in an email on Wednesday that Rebounderz is no longer a part of the project. A phone message left with the company’s headquarters in Florida was not immediately returned.
Studio Movie Grill is set to be the largest tenant at the site and currently has about 30 locations nationwide, with the closest location being in Rocklin. The company is known for its in-theatre dining concept, which features comfortable seating and individual tabletops for a unique movie-watching experience while dining. Call buttons are also placed at each seat, allowing for food and drink orders to be placed and delivered during the film showing.
A spokesperson from the movie grill’s Texas-based headquarters was not able to be reached on Wednesday, but plans submitted to the city show the theatre will take up roughly half of the existing building on the left side and will also feature a small addition to the existing structure. The right-rear of the building is carved out for a 34,000-square-foot Big Lots store, and a 4,500-square-feet spot in front of the discount retailer is listed as another leasable space “not to exceed 4,500 square feet.” An additional 5,000-square-feet spot is also shown along the front of the building.
Kempenaar said the smaller tenant spaces do not currently have known tenants. He said planning commission approval for the project is not required.
Although Studio Movie Grill had been rumored as a future tenant, Auburn Boulevard Business Association President Richard Hale told The Sentinel Wednesday evening that he was pleased an application had been submitted to the city.
“That will be a game-changer at that end of the boulevard,” said Hale. “I’m very happy with that.”
Sentinel staff report–
The day after Black Friday’s shopping frenzy, small businesses around the country and in Citrus Heights are anticipated to gain an additional financial boost from the eighth annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25 — a day designed to encourage consumers to support small, local businesses in their communities.
Locally, Auburn Boulevard Business Association Chairman Richard Hale praised Small Business Saturday as “something we support wholeheartedly,” noting the section of Auburn Boulevard his association represents, from Sylvan Corners to the Roseville border, is made up almost entirely of mom-and-pop businesses.
“Shopping and supporting small businesses is very important for economic growth in our communities, for cities like Citrus Heights,” said Hale, who owns Walt’s Auto Service on Auburn Boulevard.
Citrus Heights Mayor Jeff Slowey told The Sentinel on Monday that he had intentionally put off some of his Christmas shopping for Saturday in order to support the effort, stating “as the mayor, I fully support Small Business Saturday.”
Small Business Saturday began in 2010, quickly receiving official recognition and support from the president on down to governors, mayors, and senators around the country. By 2012, American Express reported an estimated $5.5 billion was spent at small, independent businesses on Small Business Saturday — with that number tripling last year.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses, which now co-sponsors the Day, called last year’s effort “the most successful yet” and reported that an estimated 112 million shoppers participated in Small Business Saturday and spent an estimated $15.4 billion at independent retailers and restaurants.
“Small businesses across the nation are often run by the friends, family, and neighbors that we know well, so supporting them is not only personal but critical to their success,” said NFIB CEO and President Juanita Duggan in a statement following last year’s event. “[Promoting] the awareness and importance of shopping small is something we are very proud of, and look forward to continuing the success of Small Business Saturday.”
Support continues to grow each year as more shoppers become aware of the Day. In 2016, the NFIB reported that 72 percent of consumers were aware of Small Business Saturday, with shoppers stating in a prior survey that their number one reason for participating was “small businesses’ community contributions.”
Although initially launched and heavily promoted by American Express, Small Business Saturday is now sponsored by a wide coalition of organizations and businesses, and the credit card company says its focus is on small businesses rather than AmEx.
“This is frankly the one movement that I will tell you is not limited to American Express,” the company’s CEO and Chairman Kenneth Chenault previously stated in a CBS interview about Small Business Saturday. “You can use any credit card. You can use cash. You can use checks. All we want you to do is to support small businesses in your community.”
*This story was updated to include comments from Mayor Jeff Slowey.
The corner of Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue has long been dormant, but a developer has plans to bring a shopping center to the lot. // CH Sentinel
Sentinel staff report–
A long-dormant corner at Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue in Citrus Heights could soon become an attractive 9,000-square-feet shopping plaza with outdoor seating and parking in the rear — all that’s missing is tenants.
Developer Hemanta Agarwala has been ready to build the Twin Oaks Plaza for the past 10 years, but struggled to find tenants after the market “fell through the crack” in 2008. Since acquiring the parcel in 2007, he’s invested about $1 million into the property already, including underground improvements, laying the foundation, and getting approval for the project from the planning commission.
“The only thing left is vertical,” Agarwala told The Sentinel on Thursday, referring to walls being erected at the site. The city’s planning division confirmed the project has already been approved by the planning commission, with only a building permit needed for additional construction.
Agarwala, a general contractor and licensed mechanical engineer, said he’s enlisted the help of a local commercial broker with Remax Gold to help find tenants for the new Twin Oaks Plaza.
“It’s a really beautiful building that’s planned,” said broker associate Ranga Pathak, noting that tenants could be professional or retail. “I think it would do wonders for the boulevard.”
A leasing brochure for the property shows a rendering of the design with seven potential tenants, but Pathak said the plaza would also work for a sole medical or professional business — or could also have as many as eight businesses. “We have a lot of flexibility at this point,” she said.
The property is listed for lease at $2-per-square-foot, with purchase of the entire .61-acre parcel also listed as an option for $1.4 million.
Pathak said the corner location would be great for retail, with the signalized intersection also being a plus for access. “It’s literally minutes from the freeway and Roseville border,” she said.
The commercial broker said the owner also isn’t looking to get all tenants lined up in order to begin construction on the building. “If we can even get tenants for a good portion of the building, the owner will complete the building,” she said.
Asked why the property hasn’t leased already, Pathak noted nearby vacancies and said getting tenants when the property has yet to be built is also a difficulty. She said the economic downturn played a role, but indicated there has been more interest in the property more recently.
Auburn Boulevard Business Association President Richard Hale told The Sentinel he initially thought access to the property could have been a concern for potential tenants, but after reviewing the leasing packet and seeing the site plan he said access wouldn’t be a problem.
Plans show 36 parking spots in the rear, which would be accessed from Twin Oaks Avenue. Both northbound and southbound traffic on Auburn Boulevard would be able to access the lot by turning on Twin Oaks Avenue at the traffic light.
Hale, who also owns Walt’s Auto Service on Auburn Boulevard, said he’s confident that future improvements planned for “Phase 2” of the city’s Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project will help boost business and fill vacancies on the boulevard.
“You fast forward a few years from now when the [revitalization work] is done, I think parcels like that will be developed and looked at in a different light,” Hale said.
The boulevard project was authorized in 2005 and 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 two-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.
Phase 1 work came with a price tag of more than $15 million and 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. Similar changes are being planned for Phase 2.
A long-vacant retail store lies vacant at the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Antelope Road, one of several vacant storefronts a new business association hopes to see filled. // CH Sentinel
By Hazel Ford–
A newly formed business association is planning big for the future of a high-traffic corridor in Citrus Heights. The Auburn Boulevard Business Association, or ABBA, is currently working to develop a strategy to help make Auburn Boulevard a vibrant destination for tourists and residents alike.
“Our vision is to make Auburn Boulevard a destination point,” ABBA Chairman Richard Hale told The Sentinel. “We get a lot of traffic along that corridor, but we want to make it a destination for if you want to dine out for the evening or if you need any kind of services.”
A group of 19 businesses, including the Citrus Heights Car Wash, Prestwood I.T. Solutions, and many others, ABBA was officially formed just last year, although the idea for a cohesive team of Auburn Boulevard business owners goes back a bit further.
The chairman, who also owns Walt’s Auto Service, said the association started when a representative from the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce approached several of the businesses on Auburn Boulevard and organized a few meetings to discuss forming an association. Hale stepped into the role as chair, and the businesses have been meeting monthly and working hard to expand and improve the group since then.
With high hopes for the future, business owners are looking forward to a meeting at city hall planned for Sept. 12, which they hope will encourage many more businesses to join the association.
“This will be the moment that people are really going to realize who we are, and they’re going to want to join in,” said Hale regarding the upcoming meeting. The group hopes to double their membership within a year, tapping into a potential member base of more than 100 businesses located on Auburn Boulevard between Sylvan Corners and the Roseville border.
During the association’s monthly meeting in July, held in a small room at Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes, Hale encouraged each business owner to spread the word to their neighboring businesses. “If you don’t have a voice or an idea, you can’t be part of a change,” he told the group.
Ideas for the future include aesthetic improvements for many of the businesses through the city’s “Activate Auburn” program, which gives grants to Auburn Boulevard businesses for facade and design updates. According to the city, the first business to successfully complete the program from start to finish was Crepes & Burgers, which opened on the boulevard at the beginning of the year.
Major changes for Auburn Boulevard also include Phase 2 of the “Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project.” Phase 1 was completed in 2014 and included undergrounding utility wires, new street lights and 230 new street trees, as well as nearly 10,000 feet of bike lanes and sidewalks, from Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park. Phase 2 is slated to begin in 2019 and will continue the face-lift on the boulevard all the way to the Roseville border.
Referencing Phase 1 of the project, Hale said “there’s a lot of great work that’s been done out there, but there’s a lot more to be done.”
Asked about accomplishments, Hale said in a year’s time the group has incorporated as a nonprofit, formed a board of directors, and increased membership to nearly two dozen businesses. His group has also helped provide input on a proposed gateway arch over Auburn Boulevard near the Roseville border and has built a better relationship with police to help respond to homelessness and other issues.
The business association also recently received a $25,000 grant from the City of Citrus Heights to hire a consultant team to help the group network with other businesses and write a formatted plan for what they would like to see take place over the next decade.
Hale said one of his goals is to see every building on Auburn Boulevard filled in the next five to 10 years. “Vacant buildings lead to less traffic,” he said, also referencing crime and transient activity increases when buildings are unoccupied. “Nothing good comes from vacant buildings.”
During ABBA’s July 11 meeting, Citrus Heights police representatives also shared strategies for businesses, churches, schools, and residential areas, called “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.” The strategies involve the use of landscaping, fencing, surveillance, lighting, and alarms to reduce the risk of criminal targeting.
Officers encouraged businesses as well as private homeowners to take steps to protect their property, offering business owners a free crime prevention assessment. “We will be your partner and do everything possible we can to work on those issues together,” Special Operatives Lt. David Gutierrez told the group.
Looking forward, Hale said more specific goals will be developed during and after the Sept. 12 meeting, but he said the association will have a focus on helping and attracting small businesses on the boulevard, rather than larger chains.
“In the long run we’re going to attract new businesses and new restaurants and new places to do business for your home needs versus going to a corporation,” said Hale. “That’s what we pride Auburn Boulevard in — mom and pop businesses.”
Additional information:
ABBA Planning Meeting
Sept. 12, 6:00 p.m.
City Hall, conference room
6360 Fountain Square Dr.
Citrus Heights, CA
