By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council is expected to consider the approval of a service agreement for the development of preliminary infrastructure phasing work for the Sunrise Tomorrow project, advancing the city’s proactive efforts to prepare the Sunrise Mall site for future redevelopment.
If the resolution is approved, the City Manager would be authorized to execute a service agreement not to exceed $178,000 with Cunningham Engineering to carry out preliminary engineering and infrastructure planning. The work will be fully funded by a Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Green Means Go Planning Grant awarded to the city in September 2024.
The Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan, approved in November 2021, lays out a long-term vision for transforming the 100-acre Sunrise Mall site into a mixed-use community that includes housing, retail, entertainment, and open space. As the plan has the potential to result in significant increases in the density and diversity of uses on the site, detailed infrastructure planning has become a “critical next step” in unlocking the property’s development potential, the city said.
While major utilities such as water, sewer, and power are already available along Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, the site still requires project-specific infrastructure, including internal utility networks and stormwater systems, to enable full redevelopment.
In December 2022, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a previous service agreement, also with Cunningham Engineering, for infrastructure capacity analysis and financing strategy development funded through SACOG’s Green Means Go Early Activation Grant. That work produced a draft roadmap identifying potential financing opportunities and helped the city evaluate infrastructure capacity for key development sites within the Sunrise Tomorrow area, the city said in its staff report.
The newly awarded $178,000 planning grant would build on earlier work and fund preliminary engineering for underground infrastructure, including capacity analysis, phasing, and other technical studies. Grant funds must be completely utilized by June 30, 2026.
To maintain consistency and efficiency, staff recommends continuing to work with Cunningham Engineering, which has already developed a deep understanding of the Sunrise Tomorrow site. The proposed scope of work includes an assessment of on-site trunkline infrastructure needs, capacity, and phasing required to support full buildout of the Specific Plan.
According to staff, advancing this level of infrastructure planning now allows the city to respond to developer inquiries more precisely, identify potential constraints early, and solidify its understanding of future infrastructure demands.
There is no fiscal impact to the city’s general fund, as the entire cost of the work will be covered by the SACOG grant. Additionally, no new environmental review is required. The work is consistent with the Sunrise Tomorrow Environmental Impact Report adopted with the Specific Plan in 2021.
Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 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.
