The Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan will transform the rundown Sunrise Mall into the community's new central hub with a main street, hotels, housing and more. The city is hopeful for the economic boom it will bring becoming the new town square, Sunrise Commons.
Many of the shoppers I spoke with enjoy the simplicity of the mall, even though they have been watching it go downhill for years. Now there are almost too many spots to choose from in the parking lot with about half the mall inside closed off because of no businesses. Two department stores, JC Penny's and Macy's, are helping the nearly acre space survive. The city of Citrus Heights's Sunrise Tomorrow Specific plan will transform this mall into a modern-day multi-use destination.
Early renderings of the plan show high-rise buildings, outdoor common-use areas, hotels and housing. The city of Citrus Heights said there is no current application or project for a high-rise in Citrus Heights.
However, the plan allows for these types of buildings if the mall is redeveloped. The year plan is laid out in four phases. Phase One of the plan will start with redeveloping the old Sears building into a dining entertainment district, retail, hotel and open space area. That is why creating paths and streets to make it easy to walk and bike around are all part of the plan that the city approved in The ambitious dreams for the desolate mall will not happen without the cooperation of the Sunrise Mall's multiple property owners.
I reached out to the property owners to learn what their goals are for this major redevelopment but have not heard back. The City of Citrus Heights said there is no plan to demolish the Sunrise Mall, and it will use the 75 acres of surplus parking for the project. Last month, the city council approved a tentative parcel map for the future development of a hotel as part of the Specific Plan. The Parcel Map will allow the property owner to sell any of the three parcels to another interested party to construct future projects on the resulting parcels.
