These popular businesses told Sacramento they were coming to town. Why haven’t they opened?

Coming soon. Anticipated opening. Delayed.

A number of highly anticipated businesses, from a massive water park to a couple of high-tech grocery stores, have promised to open in the Sacramento area. That hasn’t happened yet.

The Sacramento Bee consulted city spokespeople Gabby Miller and Kelli Trapani, as well as representatives with each respective business to get updates on the status of their openings.

Here’s what we found.

When will Cal Expo water park reopen?

The water park at Cal Expo in Sacramento is slated to reopen next summer after undergoing major renovations.

In August, Steven Dooner, CEO of Silverwood Entertainment Holdings, LLC, and California Dreamin’, signed a lease to take over the water park at 1600 Exposition Blvd., formerly known as Raging Waters.

In a May 21 phone interview, Dooner said California Dreamin’ secured additional approval on the demolition permit from the California Construction Authority.

Per approval from Cal Fire, demolition efforts will start in June for the improved water park, which will be known as Calibunga.

“We plan to completely rebuild the park,” said Dooner, a Sacramento native. “We thought it would be faster than it is but ... you’re dealing with the state government, so we go as fast as we can.”

Dooner said Calibunga could have opened this summer.

When the owners learned of the extent of the renovations that would be needed, however, it “became apparent we just got to take this thing down to the ground,” he said.

The six-acre water park will include beaches, a wave pool, a few towers and a Chucky Cheese-branded children’s area. The lazy river and a few slides will be the only parts of Raging Waters that remain, Dooner said.

Dooner said the plan remains to reopen the water park in 2025.

What about Sacramento’s Southside Park pool?

Sacramento’s Southside Park Pool has sat empty for the past two summers. Now the city has set aside the money it needs to reopen.

On Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council approved a roughly $600,000 contract to repair the community pool at 2107 Sixth St. under Adams Pool Specialties.

Construction starts in June and staff will “work diligently to ensure the work progresses as quickly and efficiently as possible,” city spokeswoman Gabby Miller wrote Thursday in an email.

There’s no anticipated opening date, she added, though the city anticipates it will be sometime this season.

The pool’s current fiberglass finish has “deterred beyond its useful life,” posing health risks to swimmers, according to a City Council report.

The contractor is expected to install new tiles, rope anchors, covers and pool and depth markings. The pool will also get new wall inlets, devices that direct water flow.

A white plaster finish will be installed to “ensure safety and functionality,” the report said.

When will Amazon Fresh stores open in Sacramento area?

After a year of stalling its expansion plans, Amazon appears to be working to open its high-tech grocery stores in the Sacramento area.

Brick-and-mortar Amazon Fresh sites were slated to open last year on Stanford Ranch Road in Roseville, at The Ridge shopping center in Elk Grove and at the Country Club Centre shopping center in Arden Arcade.

The announcement came amid the tech giant’s push to grow in the physical retail world, ranging from the purchase of Whole Foods to the rapid expansion of Amazon Fresh and Go convenience stores. Then those efforts came to a halt.

Now it appears development efforts have begun again in the Sacramento area — but at a different location.

Sunrise Village shopping center in Citrus Heights listed a grocery store as “coming soon” to a space measuring more than 38,000 square feet.

The building’s exterior is similar to other vacant Amazon Fresh stores in the area, but it’s unclear if the company is leasing the building.

Amazon Fresh filed for liquor licenses on May 14 with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for the location at Sunrise Village. One will be used for general sales and the other for instructional tastings.

The Sacramento Bee reached out to Sunrise Village representatives for comment but had not received a response as of Monday afternoon.

In a May 23 email, Amazon spokesman Griffin Buch declined to answer specific questions about Sacramento-area locations.

“Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience — whether shopping in store or online — where Amazon is the first choice for selection, value, and convenience,” Buch said.

“We’ll continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores, and will do so selectively with Amazon Fresh as we see results we like,” he added.

What about H Mart?

New Jersey-based H Mart announced plans in the summer of 2023 to build its first Sacramento location at 6366 Mack Road near the Valley Hi Drive intersection.

In May, city officials gave the Korean grocery store chain the green light to obtain a building permit to start tenant improvements.

City spokeswoman Kelli Trapani said in a May 29 email that the Mack Road spot is currently undergoing renovations, though there isn’t an anticipated opening date.

Wondering about a business that’s planning to open in the Sacramento area? Email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.

This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 7:30 AM.