By Mike Hazlip–
Scattered footsteps echo through the cavernous open spaces of a mall that once buzzed with activity as shop owners wait in their stores, hoping for the occasional customer to wander in.
Less than two dozen tenants remain at Sunrise Mall, with JCPenney still open for business as the property’s last remaining anchor. Mostly made up of independently owned businesses, these mom-and-pop retailers struggle to hang on as the battle over the future of the property goes to court.
The City of Citrus Heights filed a lawsuit against the property’s majority owner, Namdar Realty Group, on July 15 citing ongoing unresolved code violations, according to an earlier report by The Sentinel. The lawsuit comes after authorities served an inspection warrant in May.
A 50-page inspection report obtained by The Sentinel outlined multiple issues such as leaking roofs, clogged roof drains, pests and rodents in the food court area, standing water on the floor, evidence of homeless activity in vacant spaces, and unpermitted appliances that had been installed.
Retailers say they are not surprised by the results and described an overall lack of maintenance that has been evident for a long time.
In an interview with The Sentinel, Kevin Cadinha, who owns Perfumes Luxe, said he sees the legal action as an inevitable step exasperating what has already been a steady decline for the once bustling retail center.
“You have two people kind of pushing against each other, and something’s got to give,” Cadinha said.
Cadinha, along with two other business owners who spoke with The Sentinel on condition of anonymity, feel caught in the middle between the City of Citrus Heights and a company that Bloomberg News called a “billionaire bottom feeder.”
“Do I feel caught in the middle? Maybe a little bit,” Cadinha said. “Because my opinion doesn’t matter… ultimately, it comes down to the decision of the two main people, the city and Namdar.”
Although Cadinha isn’t surprised by the overall condition of the property, he said some of the details in the report were shocking, but stressed that shoppers are not likely to see the worst issues that reportedly have occurred in areas closed to the public.
“You kind of see the mall in itself, and there are things that are wrong with the mall,” he said. “But you don’t know because I’m not in the closed stores, and you’re not in the areas that you can’t go into.”
His store is struggling to stay in business, along with many others, he said.
“It tells you why businesses have decided to leave, because if [code violations] are not being fixed, why would you own a business or have a business in an area that is that bad?” he said.
Despite the widely reported condition of the property, Cadinha encouraged shoppers to come to Sunrise Mall, and added that there’s “only so much” a business owner can do.
The remaining tenants at Sunrise Mall face an uncertain future as the City of Citrus Heights begins what has been a protracted court battle in other states with the New York-based corporation known for putting up legal roadblocks to thwart the redevelopment of their properties.
A years-long legal battle has played out in cities across the U.S., with municipalities in Bangor, Maine, along with Bloomingdale and Calumet City, both in Illinois, resorting to eminent domain actions.
“Who knows if one day Namdar comes in here and says the mall’s closed?” Cadinha said. “Who knows if the city is like, ‘Nothing was fixed, so the mall’s closed.’ How do we know what that time-frame is or what that looks like?”
Farzad Yoozbashi, owner of T&Z Toys, echoed that same sense of uncertainty.
“We don’t know everything that’s going on between the city, Namdar, or the company that wanted to buy it,” Yoozbashi said, referring to the recent proposal from Ethan Conrad Properties that was rejected by the city in April. “Everyone is looking for their plans, what they want to do. No idea what is going on between these three companies.”
Yoozbashi would like to see more people coming to the mall, saying that signage along Sunrise Boulevard might help people remember that there are still retailers open for business at the dying mall.
One shop owner who didn’t want to be identified for fear of repercussions said simply, “Sunrise tomorrow… What about Sunrise today?”
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