New city manager focusing on community involvement in Citrus Heights

By Mike Hazlip—
The city’s new top executive introduced himself to community members during a neighborhood meeting Tuesday, where he highlighted goals of bringing back community events, redeveloping Sunrise Mall and personally being part of the Citrus Heights community.

While working previously as assistant city manager with the City of Davis, Ashley Feeney said he established relationships with community leaders and organizations there, but didn’t feel a part of the community where he worked.

“I would go home to my home in Fair Oaks where my wife and our two boys live,” Feeney said, speaking to the Citrus Heights Area Seven Eight and Nine neighborhood association on March 15. “I really wasn’t part of the community per se, because that was more where I worked, and unless you’re living in that community, you’re not really part of the community.”

When prior Citrus Heights City Manager Christopher Boyd retired, Feeney said he kept an eye on the job announcement. When he read the description, he decided to apply.

“Then, when I started to read the recruitment in the brochure about what the City Council is looking for, I really got excited,” he said. “As I read through it, I said wow, they’re really looking for me.”

Feeney considers himself part of the Citrus Heights community after moving to Orangevale ten years ago. Feeney now lives in Fair Oaks, near the Citrus Heights border that runs along Madison Avenue.

Prior to becoming city manager for Citrus Heights, Feeney worked in the private sector for various companies including The New Home Company. When the housing market tanked in 2006, Feeny says he learned to be creative with development.

“I was in home building real estate development all the way down,” he said. “That was a great way to learn from a cash flow management standpoint and also to see how you can be creative and innovative on solutions with private development.”

After about a decade in the private sector, Feeney says the City of Davis asked if he would be interested in working in the public sector. He worked in community development before being promoted to assistant city manager where he was responsible for economic and community development.

His most significant accomplishment for the City of Davis was spearheading development of The Cannery, a new home community centered around a farm-to-fork concept that includes retail spaces, parks, and a recreation center.

Feeney says there was “probably more development in that period of time than they had seen in the last 20 years while I was in Davis.”

One of his first priorities as city manager has been to build relationships, as he also works to become familiar with the city’s policies and procedures.

A key aspect of relationship building is community events, something Feeney said has been negatively affected by the pandemic. He plans to increase the number of events, and says he has met with Sunrise Parks and Recreation District Administrator Dave Mitchell about future events in Citrus Heights.

“You can just feel that, it’s part of the family story, just the community pride,” he said. “I see that in City Hall, I see that over at PD, and just the events that I’ve attended. It’s a special place, so I’m excited to be part of that.”

The return of Sunday Funday later this year is one event that has already been announced. There has also been vocal support for bringing back the annual Red, White & Blue parade, which was discontinued in 2019.

From 2019: Citrus Heights says 2019 Red, White & Blue Parade won’t be happening

Another significant item on Feeney’s agenda is the future of Sunrise Mall. He said the City Council did a “fantastic job” in taking control of the 100-acre site, noting it has the potential to become the “heart of Citrus Heights.” He added that the outcome could have been very different had the city not taken an active role.

Naming the Palladio in Folsom and the Fountains in Roseville as similar developments, Feeney said a lifestyle center in Citrus Heights could serve the surrounding communities of Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and Rancho Cordova. He said age and income demographics of surrounding areas will be enough to attract developers to a lifestyle concept at the mall site.

In closing, Feeney said he wants to be “part of this community for the long run.”

“This isn’t intended to be a stop-over for me. I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody here in the years to come as we continue to work together to improve Citrus Heights.”