Civic Minute: What’s going on at City Hall in Citrus Heights?

By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights City Council members will meet Wednesday, Aug. 14, to discuss multiple items, including alcoholic beverage licenses for Amazon Fresh, a property acquisition, construction contract, and a new Animal Services contract with Sacramento County.

Request for Letter of Convenience and Necessity

According to the city, Amazon Fresh submitted a Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity requesting an off-sale general and an instructional tastings Alcohol Beverage Control license for review on July 15. A Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity is required when a business applies for certain types of alcohol licenses in areas where the number of existing licenses exceeds a state-determined threshold. The City Council will consider whether to approve the request, following a public hearing.

Acquisition of a portion of 6498 Sylvan Rd.

The City Council is being asked to authorize the City Manager to execute a purchase agreement with Bayside Covenant Church (The Heights) of Citrus Heights for the acquisition of a portion of 6498 Sylvan Rd. According to the agenda packet, the city has negotiated a purchase price of $2.16 per square foot.

During the escrow period, the city will initiate a lot line adjustment consisting of 76,590± square feet, not to exceed 80,000 square feet. The estimated purchase price is a little over $165,000, but the final purchase price will be determined by the lot line adjustment. The city will utilize General Funds for the purchase of the property. The acquisition terms for the lot on Sylvan Road were previously negotiated at a closed session during a July 10 City Council meeting.

Grant funding for Hope Cooperative

Hope Cooperative is a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health and supportive housing services in the Sacramento area. The City Council is being asked to approve a grant recipient agreement to award Hope Cooperative of up to $500,000 to aid in the purchase of 7501 Sunrise Blvd. The cooperative wants to develop the property into an 80-unit supportive housing project for seniors.

According to the city, the nonprofit has already received a $25 million Community Care Expansion Capital Expansion grant from the California Department of Social Services. After identifying a shortfall in funding, Hope Cooperative requested gap funding from the City of Citrus Heights to support the project. The grant amount will come from the city’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation funding, according to the city.

Animal Services agreement with Sacramento County

The City Council is being asked to consider an agreement with the County of Sacramento for animal shelter services through the Bradshaw Animal Shelter. The agreement, if approved, would take effect on Sept. 1, 2024, and extend through June 30, 2029, with an option to renew for another two years.

In March 2024, the city received notification from the Placer County Animal Shelter that the animal shelter would not be able to continue services past the end of 2024. Placer County cited a significant cost increase and overcrowding of the shelter which required them to limit service to agencies within Placer County, according to the agenda packet.

Sunrise Boulevard Resurfacing Project

 The City Council is being asked to consider authorizing an agreement with VSS International, Inc. for the resurfacing of Sunrise Boulevard between Greenback Lane and Madison Avenue. The Sunrise Boulevard Resurfacing Project is part of the city’s Three-Year-Pavement Preservation plan which has been implemented to help address “degrading pavement conditions” and support “economic reinvestment” into commercial corridors.

VSS’s bid for the total project is $1,680,300. Funding will come from various sources, including Senate Bill 1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account and the General Fund Capital Infrastructure.

Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at City Hall at 6 p.m., or by submitting a written comment beforehand using the city’s website. The deadline to submit comments online is 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting. See full agenda packet online: Click here.