Citrus Heights Chamber wins $25k grant from city, seeks to relocate offices

By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce wants to relocate their offices to a more strategic location.

The Chamber of Commerce announced this week the desire to move offices to a more “prominent and accessible” location within the city and requested $8,000 in grant funding from the city in order to do so. The funding was part of a greater $25,000 grant to the chamber that was approved by the council on Sept. 11.

Currently, the Chamber of Commerce office is located at 7625 Sunrise Blvd. on the city’s northern limits. The Chamber wants to move to a location within the Sunrise MarketPlace and says the move is “strategic.”

“This move is essential for enhancing our presence and making it easier for entrepreneurs and business owners to access our services,” the Chamber wrote in a grant proposal to the city, adding that the new location will be more visible, offer an increase in foot traffic, and provide a more inviting space for meetings and events.

During a recent City Council meeting on Sept. 11, Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheri Merrick said that she’s “pushing very hard” to relocate because the location is difficult for people to find.

“We are set back off the road, behind another building, on the second floor, with no elevator. No one can find us,” Merrick told the council, adding that within the first two months of becoming Executive Director, everyone who attempted to visit the Chamber’s current office location “got lost.”

As of the end of August 2024, a total of 57 new businesses have joined the Chamber of Commerce, as compared to 17 new members joining in 2023, according to Merrick, which includes some businesses that left and have now returned.

“Us having a more prominent location will only benefit that growth,” Merrick said during the council meeting.

In a breakdown of the budget outlined in a grant proposal submitted to the city, relocating will cost an estimated $25,000, which includes leasing, utilities, office setup, and furnishings. The Chamber does expect the cost of rent and utilities to be higher than it is at their current location.

In the grant proposal, the Chamber said the primary purposes of an office relocation would be to facilitate greater interaction with local businesses in order to increase job opportunities, increase tax base by supporting local businesses through various programs and activities, promote specific commercial areas by serving as a hub for business activities and events, enhance a “sense of place” in the local community, and promote the city as more “business-friendly” by making it easier to engage with the Chamber.

According to Merrick, the move is anticipated to take place by January. The proposal states the move would be done in phases. The first phase would involve developing a marketing plan and identifying and leasing a new office location, and the second phase would involve launching a marketing campaign, moving, and setting up the new space. Following the move, the Chamber also plans to do an evaluation of the relocation and report findings in order to demonstrate the project’s impact.

The City Council unanimously approved a $25,000 to be awarded to the Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 11, $8,000 of which is planned to be used for office relocation.

The $25,000 grant comes from the economic development support fund program, which provides grants and sponsorships to businesses, business associations, and other economic development-related organizations for events, marketing, promotions, and other related activities.