Citrus Heights council to tour Colorado projects for Sunrise Mall inspiration

By Sara Beth Williams–
The City Council is scheduled to fly to Lakewood, Colorado, to visit various development project sites, including the Belmar Shopping Center, the city announced Monday.

The council will be traveling to Colorado Thursday, April 3, and returning Saturday, April 5. No actions will be taken at any location visited during the trip, the city said in a public agenda report.

During the trip, the council plans to visit the Belmar Shopping Center Downtown, Edgewater Public Market, and 40 West Arts Project Tour. Members of the public are welcome to attend, according to the city; however, transportation and accommodations will not be provided.

Last year, Citrus Heights City Councilmember Tim Schaefer visited the Belmar Shopping Center in Lakewood with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and brought back information to the City Council on the success story of the revitalization project. He cited the development of Belmar Mall as a comparison model for what the Sunrise Mall property could someday become.

In comparing the old property, called Villa Italia, to Sunrise Mall, Schaefer said the property was similar in size at around 100 acres, with a similar history to Sunrise Mall; both malls experienced a decline in the late 90s and early 2000s and a “complicated” ownership. In the case of Villa Italia, one party owned all the land, and one party owned all the buildings.

“When they rebuilt the mall, they attracted a lot of upscale new businesses,” Schaefer said, adding that the layout was “really, really nice” and that there are no quick service restaurants on the property, but a Chick-fil-A was built outside of the property.

The trip to Lakewood comes amid public tension over the current progress of the city’s Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan, a large-scale development guide that seeks to transform the Sunrise Mall property into a mixed-use “regional destination” with housing, at least one hotel, office space, and shopping, dining, and entertainment options for residents.

Initial indications estimated that the redevelopment plan could take up to 20 years to implement, but many residents have commented in front of the City Council, online, and in city surveys that development at Sunrise Mall is taking too long.

Ethan Conrad Properties has also recently proposed an amendment called “Sunrise Tomorrow Evolution,” which seeks to request the city to relax regulations and allow for “logical uses” such as larger national retail stores, like Home Depot, and multiple quick-service restaurants with drive-thrus. The real estate company has made presentations to all Citrus Heights neighborhood areas in an effort to gather community feedback and support.

Throughout various community meetings, repeated concerns have been raised regarding the prospect of building multiple fast food restaurants with drive-thrus so close together along Sunrise Boulevard, as outlined in the site plan submitted to the city.

“It’s going to be a whole lot worse if we don’t move quickly,” Conrad said at an Area 10 meeting, referring to the sharp decline of the Sunrise Mall, as it continues to lose multiple national retailers in quick succession.

A City Council agenda for any situation that involves more than two council members engaging in official city business together is required to be noticed in advance to the public per the Brown Act. The Brown Act mandates advance public notice of meetings, prohibits private decision-making among elected officials, and allows public participation. Exceptions to the Brown Act include city council members attending conferences, educational seminars, social and community events, standing committee meetings, and more, as long as city business is not being discussed between more than two members.

Residents are able to provide public comment to the council either before or during the council’s trip to Colorado by emailing the City Clerk at cityclerk@citrusheights.net.