Citrus Heights to consider incentives for sports complex at Sunrise Mall
Citrus Heights elected officials will consider an agreement Wednesday evening that would redevelop a portion of Sunrise Mall into a sports complex with turf fields and two NHL-sized ice sheets.
The complex is part of a larger proposal by a Mill Valley-based firm, Tallen Capital Partners, to acquire and build housing, restaurants and retail on the section of the mall owned by Namdar Realty Group, the largest of the site’s five property owners. Tallen’s CEO has said he would sell about 14 acres on the north side of the mall, including the former men’s Macy’s building, to a developer called the Mettle Shop.
The Mettle Shop has proposed building the complex with two ice sheets, one of them with fixed seating for 2,900 to 4,000 spectators. It would be capable of hosting hockey and figure skating as well as non-ice sports like volleyball and tennis. The complex would include two covered turf fields, one with capacity for 10,000 spectators for football, rugby and baseball — and which could be reconfigured to host concerts.
The project also includes restaurant and hospitality space and a sports medicine facility.
The estimated construction budget is $120 million. Under the agreement being considered by Citrus Heights City Council in Wednesday’s meeting, the city may issue up to $60 million in debt financing, to be paid with facility revenues and secured by a lien, a spokesperson for the Mettle Shop said in an email Wednesday. The balance would be funded by private equity.
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The agreement would lay the groundwork for the city’s participation in the project, Meghan Huber, the city’s economic development director, said in an interview Friday. Its passage would mark a first step, to be followed by a development agreement that would include greater detail. The project would then go through entitlement and environmental review, and would be reviewed by the planning commission and city council.
The agreement says officials would consider other means of financial support, like reimbursing ticket or parking fees, or forming a special taxing district. The city would also waive or postpone certain fees associated with the development.
The city would get eight premium seats at the Mettle Shop’s regular-season events and free use of a suite for two regular-season events. The city would be allowed to host up to four nonprofit, community-oriented events there each year — with the city covering operational costs but not paying any rent for the space.
The Mettle Shop would maintain its corporate headquarters in Citrus Heights.
