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Citrus Heights Messenger

Council Approves Property Purchase and Road Resurfacing

Aug 21, 2024 09:43AM ● By Shauna Boyd

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the Aug. 14 Citrus Heights City Council meeting, Mayor Bret Daniels pulled the potential purchase of a vacant property from the Consent Calendar for a roll call vote. The property at 6488 Sylvan Road was offered to the city for sale by Bayside Covenant Church.

The site is unoccupied with San Juan Creek running through it, and sewer, water and electric utilities are in place. Because the property is adjacent to two other city-owned parcels, staff stated that the purchase would be a strategic investment for future community enhancements.

The estimated purchase price is $165,434 for approximately 1.75 acres, or up to $172,800 for 1.83 acres, with the final lot lines still to be determined.

Council approved the purchase agreement on a 4-1 vote, with Vice-Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa dissenting: “We don’t need it and I think our money is spent better somewhere else.”

A proposed new grocery store in the Sunrise Village Shopping Center, Amazon Fresh, requested a Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity (PCN) to obtain a license to sell beer, wine and spirits for off-site consumption, as well as for instructional tastings to be conducted in a designated alcohol sampling area. 

The store location is at 5425 Sunrise Blvd. and there are already nine establishments with alcohol sale licenses within that census tract. When there are more than two licenses in a census tract, it is considered over-concentrated and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) requires that a Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity be approved by City Council before a license is issued.

The Sunrise MarketPlace Board of Directors supported the request, since approval of the Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity would support the convenience of shoppers at the new store. And because the majority of the nine existing licenses are already for supermarkets or drug stores that sell other items in addition to alcohol, the Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity will give the new store equal opportunities for sales.

The Citrus Heights Police Department reviewed the project and had no concerns or objections. The new store is projected to generate approximately $3,500 in quarterly sales tax revenue for the city.

There were no public comments on this item and City Council voted unanimously to approve the Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity

City Council considered a $500,000 grant allocation to the nonprofit Hope Cooperative for its Auburn Oaks Project, in which they plan to acquire 7501 Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights and redevelop it into an 88-unit supportive housing facility for seniors. An assisted-living facility for seniors already exists on the site but it’s currently in need of many improvements. 

The Auburn Oaks Project would be intended to house low-income seniors over the age of 55 who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Case managers would be on site 24/7 to provide behavioral health support for the residents.

Hope operates other supportive housing projects throughout the region and was awarded approximately $25 million in grant funding from the State of California for this project. But that total is expected to fall $4.8 million short of the full project cost. Hope reached out to Sacramento County and to the City of Citrus Heights to help fill that funding gap.

The city’s $500,000 award would not come from the General Fund but from the city’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) fund, which is ongoing state funding allocated to local governments to help address unmet housing needs.

Mayor Daniels asked whether Citrus Heights citizens could be prioritized for residency at the facility but Hope Cooperative CEO April Ludwig explained that it’s illegal to geographically profile in that way. But Ludwig said that people in the homeless population often feel more at home in certain areas and those factors are considered in placement decisions.

Councilmember Tim Schaefer expressed concern that the city would cover this cost but that citizens from anywhere in the county could be placed there. He said that if people from the City of Sacramento could be eligible for placement, then Sacramento should be paying a portion.

“They need to be part of the solution as well,” said Schaefer.

City Manager Ashley Feeney said that strategic marketing of the new facility can ensure that eligible Citrus Heights citizens could get on the placement list early. He said this grant award would support the City’s goal “to prevent homelessness in Citrus Heights.”

Vice-Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa disagreed that it would prevent homelessness in Citrus Heights: “We’re helping with the overall homelessness issue countywide. … Other cities should be pitching in.”

She said that Citrus Heights should be prioritizing its own homeless residents, stating, “I would rather take $500,000 and build a bunch of tiny homes.”

Councilmember MariJane Lopez-Taff was concerned about the facility adding an additional burden to the Citrus Heights Police Department. She said a similar facility, Sunrise Pointe, resulted in an increase in calls for service to that area.

Community Development director Casey Kempenaar said that the existing facility at the site already has a lot of calls for service, so having a fully occupied facility with residents receiving supportive services “will be a better outcome and less impact on the community than its current state.”

City Manager Feeney said that most of Hope’s funding comes from the state, with Sacramento County also making a financial contribution to the project. So, if the city chooses not to partner in this project, the facility will likely still move forward with other funding sources, but then the city won’t have any input on the project.

Councilmember Porsche Middleton said that Citrus Heights has lower numbers of homeless residents than other areas in the region because “we’re proactive, and we take these chances, and make sure that we provide the housing services that are necessary.”

Daniels said he was still concerned about the potential impact on the community, so he asked that the item be continued for two weeks so that it can be discussed further at the next meeting.

The City Council then considered an agreement with Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter for animal shelter services. The five-year contract would take effect on Sept. 1, with an additional option to renew the contract through July 1, 2031. The agreement can be terminated by either party without penalty.

Citrus Heights had previously partnered with Placer County for sheltering services but lack of funding and capacity in Placer County resulted in the termination of that partnership earlier this year.

Many shelters in the region face similar challenges but Bradshaw Animal Shelter Director Annette Bedsworth said, “We’re going to make it work.”

Generally, Citrus Heights has about 500 cats and dogs each year that require sheltering, so Bedsworth wasn’t worried about that number pushing the shelter above capacity. She said they have a robust adoption program and an extensive fostering network.

“I think this is a great partnership,” said Bedsworth. “I think it’s great for the City of Citrus Heights.”

The funding for the sheltering contract is already part of the city’s approved budget, with a total of $414,354 to cover the first year of service. Subsequent-year costs would be based on the actual intake number from prior years.

Bradshaw Animal Shelter will provide Citrus Heights residents with services such as licensing and micro-chipping, lost pet reunification, and spay and neuter services. The Council voted unanimously to approve the contract with Bradshaw Animal Shelter.

City Council considered a construction contract with VSS International, Inc. for a pavement resurfacing project along 1.71 miles of Sunrise Boulevard from Madison Avenue to Greenback Lane.

Sunrise Boulevard is a significant corridor in Citrus Heights and the city has made various improvements over the year. However, the road itself has not been resurfaced since before incorporation. Despite being a heavily trafficked roadway, the pavement base is still in good enough condition that a three-layer chip seal resurfacing will improve the road without requiring more expensive repaving. 

Many businesses in the Sunrise MarketPlace are along that stretch of Sunrise, so to limit the disruption to business operations, the city plans to do much of the resurfacing work from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

The estimated cost for the project is $1.68 million, with funding for the project already included in the current budget from the Senate Bill 1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation account and the General Fund Capital Infrastructure fund.

City Council voted unanimously to approve the contract and work is expected to start as soon as September.

The next meeting of the Citrus Heights City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 28 at Citrus Heights City Hall, 6360 Fountain Square Drive.