Citrus Heights Council to review informal request to revamp Sunrise Mall

By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council is expected to hear a presentation from Ethan Conrad Properties regarding an informal amendment proposal requesting changes to the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan.

In a staff report, the city said Ethan Conrad Properties, who owns a portion of the south side of the mall property, approached the city in 2024 requesting amendments to the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan to allow for uses “beyond the current vision and intent” of the approved plan.

“The Specific Plan Amendment Initiation Request does not qualify as, nor does it forgo, a formal application for a Specific Plan Amendment,” the city wrote in the staff report, adding that the process for obtaining feedback and direction from the City Council was offered to “facilitate early and consistent collaboration.” The review process does not constitute any formal action by the council, and the result will be neither an approval nor a denial of the proposed project.

The real estate investor initially anticipated presenting the proposal to the City Council in November, but the presentation was postponed once, and then again in January. Representatives with Ethan Conrad Properties spent January and February presenting the plan to all Citrus Heights neighborhood area groups with the intention of gathering more community feedback.

Following feedback obtained during community outreach, Ethan Conrad Properties has amended its originally submitted site plan, removing a number of proposed quick-service drive-thrus that were initially planned to be built along Sunrise Boulevard between Greenback Lane and Macy Plaza Drive.

The new site plan, submitted to the city on March 28, 2025, still proposes the construction of a Home Depot, an In-N-Out, and two other unnamed quick-service restaurants, along with a bowling or entertainment venue. A small open event space area has been added to the site map on the northern side of the mall, behind the former Macy’s Men’s store, along with an EV charging station and a section dedicated to multi-family housing.

The proposed amendment applies specifically to the portions of the property owned or under contract to be owned by Ethan Conrad Properties and would affect approximately two-thirds of the mall site, in two phases, according to the staff report. The primary focus of the submitted application is Phase 1, encompassing approximately 25 acres of the former Sears site. The project application does not include the JCPenney property, Red Robin, or the Antioch Street LP property, which currently houses US Bank.

According to the city, the previous owner of Sears, Seritage Growth Properties, was a “significant stakeholder” in the development of the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan and embraced the community’s vision, including the proposed mix of uses, housing typologies, and the plan’s “Five Big Ideas.”

After Seritage divested most of its real estate holdings across the country, including the Sears property in Citrus Heights, in November 2022, Ethan Conrad Properties purchased the Sears portion of the Sunrise Mall site. According to the city, the requirements of the Specific Plan, including land use restrictions, were “clearly communicated” to Ethan Conrad Properties prior to the purchase.

All community comments submitted to the City Council prior to the previously anticipated presentations in November and January, along with several additional comments from March and April, have been attached in the city’s staff report.

Along with including dozens of community comments, the city included in the staff report a detailed list of considerations for the City Council to review. These include potential environmental impacts and the possible need for an additional environmental review, state housing requirements, risks to grant funding, consistency with the city’s General Plan and the Specific Plan, timing, public infrastructure needs, and overall public benefit.

If the City Council chooses to direct the applicant to initiate a formal amendment request, the project would be subject to a formal review process, including compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). However, if the applicant does proceed with a formal amendment proposal, there is no guarantee that the request will later be approved, the city said.

Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 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.

City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.