Guest Opinion: Is Home Depot what the Sunrise Mall really needs?

By Gigi Rayford–
I’ve been thinking about this whole Sunrise Mall redevelopment plan, and something just doesn’t sit right with me. Ethan Conrad is promising us the moon with his Home Depot and fast-food paradise, but let’s be real here – haven’t we seen this movie before?

Look, I’m all for bringing new business to town. But putting a Home Depot in Citrus Heights would directly compete with other established retailers such as Contractors Supply, Lowe’s, Green Acres, and Batteries Plus all within 1.5 miles of the proposed development. Do we really need another big box store that will simply take business away from retailers that have been serving our community for years? Rather than creating new economic growth, this plan risks simply reshuffling the same customers and dollars.

And those fast-food drive-thrus Conrad’s so proud of? Drive by Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out during lunch hour. Those backed-up lanes aren’t creating prosperity – they’re creating headaches and fender-benders. Now imagine eight more drive-thrus crammed into the mall property. Do we really need them when Citrus Heights already has a total of 94 quick-service restaurants, with about half of those having drive-thrus? Great, more traffic and trash, just what we needed!

We’re running out of buildable land in Citrus Heights – we’re 98% built out. This plan tosses away a golden opportunity for mixed-use housing that could help us meet state requirements. Instead of forward-thinking development, we’re getting… mini storage? Really? The old Sears building becoming a storage facility? That’s like turning prime downtown real estate into a parking garage. It generates almost no tax revenue and brings zero life to the area.

Make no mistake about what’s happening here. Ethan Conrad wants to do what’s best for his bottom line, and he’s willing to have his team show up at community meetings painting doomsday scenarios for the mall if we don’t accept his amendments. He positions himself as the only savior in the development world who would take on a project like Sunrise Mall.

Let’s not forget, at this moment he only owns about 20% of the mall—not the entire site. Ethan thinks we’re desperate and that our community is foolish enough to sell our future for more lumber and chicken sandwiches. We deserve better than to be talked down to by a developer who owns just a fraction of the property but acts like he controls its destiny.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine Sunrise Mall. Let’s not waste it on yesterday’s retail model that’s already failing elsewhere in areas around. We can demand development that builds community and prosperity, not just another place to buy power tools and grab a burger. Citrus Heights deserves better, and it’s up to us to speak up before it’s too late.

Gigi Rayford is a longtime resident of Citrus Heights and Executive Director of Citrus Heights Arts.