CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Construction of the new 23-acre Mitchell Village Park in the Mitchell Village residential development off Arcadia Drive in Citrus Heights, built by KB Homes, is nearing completion. Approximately 95 percent of the new multi-use trail is now put in, according to Dave Mitchell, District Administrator for the Sunrise Recreation and Park District in Citrus Heights.

The new park will feature five bridges, a nearly mile-long meandering trail and two new playgrounds.

As part of a residential development agreement (RDA), KB Homes agreed to build the approximate 23-acre natural setting park along Arcade Creek which runs diagonally across the Mitchell Village development, Mitchell said. The development is a 260-home project by KB Home, consisting of three communities.

A 100-year flood plain associated with Arcade Creek in the middle of the project area where development was prohibited.

Construction of a paved entrance into the new Mitchell Village Park was recently finished behind the PetSmart store on 6434 Sunrise Boulevard in the Sunrise Marketplace. Once open to the public, the new park will also be accessible from Fair Oaks Boulevard.

On the Sunrise Boulevard side of the park entrance, pedestrians will soon walk by a signature feature of the park trail, the face of a 30-foot-tall silver American eagle which is set against a background of burnt orange and magenta.

The giant mural, completed in May, which features the word “Destination” in giant white letters was painted by artists Michael Connors and John Hamrick of STUDIOXMC in Reno, Nevada as part of the Sacramento-based Wide Open Walls mural festival.

“The property is currently under the control of KB as they continue to develop and build the park,” Mitchell said. Most tree canopy work has been completed, and many of the new plantings have been completed.

Homes in Mitchell Village are accessible through a roundabout off Arcadia Drive and also from Fair Oaks Boulevard, just south of the Heather Downs apartment complex.

The trail is accessible via multiple courts and streets within the housing development. Mitchell confirmed the nature trail will connect to the future Arcade-Cripple Creek trail. Groundbreaking of the new Arcade-Cripple Creek trail is scheduled for November 1.

KB Home Regional Vice President of Public Relations and Communications Craig LeMessurier said family friendly amenities, will include two picnic areas, a drinking fountain and two playgrounds. In addition, benches and outdoor lighting will be installed for safety at night.

“We should have the majority of the work completed by early 2023, weather permitting, and the bridge connection at Fair Oaks, completed in summer 2023, LeMessurier said.

An agreed upon date for the transfer of the park from KB to Sunrise Recreation and Park District will then be set, he said.