By Sara Beth Williams–
An auto service center at Sunrise Mall on Greenback Lane has closed following another theft of copper wire.
Goodyear Auto Service center closed as of June 30th and the closure was reportedly a corporate decision. The closure followed the cutoff of power to the facility after copper wire was stolen from a nearby PG&E box, Sunrise MarketPlace Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter confirmed.
Carpenter said via email the store closed due to copper wire theft that occurred sometime in June. The wire was stolen from a PG&E box beneath the vacant Macy’s Men’s building, Carpenter said.
“They [the thieves] had to know it was there; they removed the manhole and went down under the building. This cut off power to the entire parcel on which Goodyear is located. To my knowledge power has still not been repaired. This is why they closed,” Carpenter said, adding that she has spoken with Goodyear’s corporate offices regarding the situation.
Despite the closure of Macy’s and other surrounding businesses at and inside Sunrise Mall, Goodyear appeared to continue to operate business as usual, with customers coming and going. By mid-July, banners and signage had been removed, and the parking lot sat vacant.
According to an article posted in The Messenger, in early June, Goodyear store employees reportedly found they were without electrical power.
The auto center was reportedly closed temporarily while they obtained a portable generator that would provide power for a short duration, before corporate offices ultimately made the decision to close permanently.
Terrance Tallen, CEO of Tallen Capital Partners, told The Sentinel in an interview that the auto service center closed because their lease had expired. Tallen Capital Partners is in escrow to purchase Sunrise Mall, and said they do not want to interfere with current tenants and their lease agreements.
Management at Red Robin, which sits directly across from the auto center, also said Goodyear’s lease had expired. Red Robin currently owns their own parcel of land on the Sunrise Mall property.
The auto service center’s closure comes as plans for redevelopment of the entire Sunrise Mall property ramp up, with the city announcing at the end of July that The Mettle Shop signed an agreement to purchase 13 acres from Tallen Capital Partners.
The agreement officially establishes the planned location for the proposed 160,000-square-foot Sunrise Sports Center, and establishes a path toward completing the property purchase, the city said.
In March, the City of Citrus Heights approved a public-private partnership and financing framework for the proposed Sports Center, which will take over the site of the former Macy’s Men’s building.
Sunrise Mall management did not reply to a request comment for clarification on why Goodyear auto service center shuttered.
