By Thomas J. Sullivan–
The recent closure of the Smart & Final Extra store on Auburn Boulevard left a vacancy at a Citrus Heights shopping center that is undergoing some major changes.
The former 21,932-square-foot Smart & Final Extra retail store at 8141 Auburn Blvd. was built in 1973 and renovated in 2018. A Big Lots store recently opened in the same shopping center, and Studio Movie Grill is planning to open in the center later this year.
So what will replace the former Smart & Final?
The Sentinel obtained a digital copy of the property listing from Proequity Asset Management in El Dorado Hills which was the commercial real estate broker of record and Keith Mellor was the listing agent. As of April 25, the original property listing for the former Smart and Final store on the Proequity Asset Management web site was removed.
“Everything about this specific listing is confidential and I have no comment for you at this time,” Mellor told The Sentinel, when reached by phone.
Debris boxes and contractors were observed at the site on Wednesday evening, with crews inside apparently performing demolition work.
The Sentinel provided Meghan Huber the city’s economic director with a digital copy of Proequity Asset Management’s leasing brochure for the former Smart & Final Extra site and asked for her comments. The retail vacancy is just south of Interstate 80 on the heavily-traveled corridor.
“We don’t believe it will be vacant long,” said Huber. “I’m hoping the new tenant will be a great fit for the revitalization we see happening along Auburn Boulevard.”
Huber said she sees the Smart & Final Extra vacancy in the broader context of what’s positively taking place along Auburn Blvd.
“While this may be a short-term loss, the city is excited for what Studio Movie Grill and the recent opening of Big Lots will be bringing towards the overall revitalization of this plaza,” she said. “We’re hoping that the new tenant who fills the former Smart & Final Extra will be a great fit and will add to the synergy of the neighborhood.”
