By Sara Beth Williams–
The City of Citrus Heights is making meaningful progress on its recently adopted three-year Economic Development Work Plan, according to a presentation given during the Sept. 24 City Council meeting.
In a six-month update on progress given by the Economic Development and Community Engagement Department team, director Meghan Huber said the city is seeing results in business attraction, regulatory modernization, and development services support, with efforts so far reflecting the city’s goal of building a business-friendly environment and encouraging targeted investment.
The Attraction and Development Services section of the Economic Development Work Plan focuses on four primary objectives: improving regulatory processes to support business development, implementing a refreshed business recruitment strategy, adopting tools that incentivize near-term investment, and enhancing support services for development projects. Each of these focus areas has seen measurable activity and “early wins,” according to Huber.
To begin, the Economic Development and Community Engagement Department first streamlined and identified weak points in zoning codes that could potentially be “barriers” to businesses, Huber said. Second, the department conducted an opportunity site inventory, in order to identify the city’s highest value vacant sites.
Internally, the city has added a Development Process Liaison to serve as a dedicated point of contact for businesses navigating the permitting process. This position plays a “key role in the city’s ‘Project Coordination Team,’” Huber said.
The coordination team is a collaborative working group that includes internal departments and external third party service partners focused on streamlining development and improving responsiveness.
In June, the City Council adopted a comprehensive update to the city’s Zoning Code, which officially went into effect in July. These changes modernized the city’s regulatory framework by broadening permitted uses, simplifying review procedures, and creating more opportunities for redevelopment. The updates were designed to preserve the character of Citrus Heights while making it easier for new businesses to establish themselves in the community.
Alongside these zoning changes, the city adopted amendments to the Fire Building Code, offering greater flexibility for tenant improvements and commercial occupancy classifications. This adjustment provides clearer and more responsive regulations for businesses looking to renovate or occupy commercial spaces, Huber said.
To help stimulate immediate investment, the city launched two key incentive programs in February with the Economic Development Work Plan: the Business Attraction Incentive Program and the Small Business Design Support Fund. Huber said the two programs have proven effective thus far, and shared multiple examples in the staff report and in front of the City Council.
Huber said the Design Support Fund has been used by Black Sails Coffee Lounge to obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy, helping the business move forward more quickly with establishing itself. Black Sales Coffee opened recently in the Marketplace at Birdcage.
The city was also able to support PSM Monuments, a business which outgrew its location. Through assistance from the Sign Improvement Grant, the city has been able to help relocate the business to another site within the city.
The city also launched a Business Safety Hub, which is an online site with resources for businesses on crime prevention through environmental design, also known as CPTED. As well, the city has launched a dedicated “Love Local” website, which highlights multiple local businesses online. The city has also visited 28 businesses out of its goal of 50 visitations set for the year.
Additionally, the Economic Development and Community Engagement Department is working alongside other key departments in drafting a proposed Commercial Property Reoccupancy Ordinance.
To reach broader recruitment goals, staff also has plans to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Southern California trade show to actively promote the city to national and regional retailers.
Data-driven decision-making has also been enhanced with the renewal of the city’s membership with the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, which provides continued access to regional economic data and expanded analytics. Additionally, Citrus Heights has deployed Placer.ai visitation data tools to monitor foot traffic at commercial centers. These insights are already supporting conversations with prospective tenants by demonstrating market reach and potential customer volume, according to the city.
The Economic Development Work Plan outlines several Business Attraction goals to accomplish, including reducing retail vacancy from 12 percent to nine percent, and office vacancy from 14 percent to 10 percent. The city also aims to secure at least five new business commitments each year in priority industry sectors and continue improving coordination with outside agencies to reduce development barriers.
Looking ahead, the department is continuing to work toward Work Plan goals, with upcoming plans to launch an Auburn Boulevard businesses survey, a business resource hub, a quarterly business recognition program, and attendance at additional future trade shows, including a trade show specializing in entertainment businesses. The department is also continuing internal trainings, collaborations with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, discussions on the Commercial Vacancy Reoccupancy Ordinance draft, and plans to launch seasonal communications campaigns to support local businesses.
