By Sara Beth Williams–
On Thursday night, the Citrus Heights City Council unanimously approved the subdivision of a 2.8-acre lot at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, which lays out a potential “hotel footprint.” Community Development Director Casey Kempenaar called the parcel map “the first domino to fall” in the plans for future redevelopment of the Sunrise Mall.
Mayor Bret Daniels expressed his “extreme gratitude” to the developers who brought forth the tentative parcel map and subdivision request. Attorney David Bowie spoke on behalf of Antioch Street LP and Ellwood Commercial Real Estate and said he and the developer are “very excited” about the future possibility of the lot and have already received inquiries for the site.
“We’re looking forward to being the first developer to make the Sunrise Mall redevelopment a reality,” Bowie said.
Kempenaar said the tentative hotel parcel map meets several goals of the city, including fulfilling a long-standing council strategic goal of diversifying the economy beyond a retail focus, and a hotel “fills gaps in lodging” that exists between Rancho Cordova and Roseville. Kempenaar also said Mercy San Juan Medical Center has a high need for hotel rooms for visitors and added that a hotel with 120 rooms would generate up to $500,000 annually in Transient Occupancy taxes.
A development agreement accompanying the tentative parcel map was also unanimously approved. The development agreement between the city and the developer ‘provides certainty for development,” Kempenaar said.
The development agreement encompasses design agreements and zoning codes, along with public improvement requirements, infrastructure upgrades, right-of-way rights for roads, and future hotel operating standards, according to the city.
The development agreement also lists accepted hotel brands that would be automatically approved by the Planning Commission, including Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn and others. Hotel brands outside of the list are still able to apply for development, but must be approved by the City Council, Kempenaar said. The agreement also requires that any future hotel must be a 3-star hotel and maintain operation for a minimum of 25 years.
The subdivision will allow the existing US Bank to remain on an existing 0.93-acre parcel while allocating 1.48 acres for a future hotel development as well as a 0.38-acre parcel anticipated for retail or restaurant use.
The original subdivision request to subdivide the US Bank parcel map was submitted in October 2022, according to application data online.
The Sentinel previously reported that the 289-page plan for Sunrise Tomorrow was developed at a cost of over $1 million to the city, including an extensive Environmental Impact Report, in an effort to make the property “shovel ready” and as attractive as possible to developers.
On Thursday night, the City Council unanimously approved the subdivision of a 2.8-acre lot at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, which lays out...
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