CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Construction of a new 28,400-square foot commercial retail building which will be the new home for JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts in the Sunrise Village Shopping Center at 5425 Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights is nearing completion.

The planned move by JoAnn’s into its new location is part of the first phase of the $15-20 million remodel and expansion project for the center, which is owned by the San Francisco-based Merlone-Geier investment company. In all, the redevelopment project calls for the addition of 18,000 square feet to the existing 150,000+ square foot retail plaza, according to the developer.

Next to the new JoAnn’s will be a new 50,000-square-foot sports club, owned by an Irvine-based corporation which operates the LA Fitness chain of health clubs. The 20,000-square-foot commercial space between the existing Rite Aid and the new City Sports Club is shown on construction plans as a Home Goods or grocery store, but an official tenant has yet to be named by the developer.

The construction contractor, Level 5 Builders which is based in Folsom, is building a 5,500-square-foot commercial building with a planned Starbucks coffee drive-thru being built on the site of the former Coco’s restaurant near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue.

The Starbucks located in the Quail Pointe Shopping Plaza across the street on Madison Avenue in Fair Oaks, will close and relocate to the new Sunrise Village location in early March 2022, according to a Starbucks store manager.

Demolition of both the 17,200-square-foot site which formerly occupied by Benihana restaurant at 5425 Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights which faced Uplands Avenue and the former Coco’s near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue was completed earlier this spring, said to Kevin Meyer, president of Level 5 Builders, Inc. of Folsom who provided a project update.

The former Lyon’s restaurant which is also located in the Sunrise Village Plaza will remain until the start of the second phase of the project in early 2022 when it is scheduled for demolition, Meyer said.

Renovation plans were approved by the Citrus Heights City Council in February 2020, said Nichole Baxter, city communications officer. The project developer, Merlone-Geier is completing the overall project in scheduled phases. The completed project, which will take several years to complete, includes new landscaping and signage upgrade.

Baxter encouraged the public to view the developer’s project brochure at: https://merlonegeier.propertycapsule.com/web/property/c6d9c248bac5c0bb2094a76f2f049a50-6755bdb8f49ffae94072e016addf0e14.