Sunrise Mall was constructed in 1971 by
The Hahn Company and was originally anchored by
Weinstock's (north anchor store),
JCPenney (center north anchor store),
Liberty House (center south anchor store), and
Sears (south anchor store). The Weinstock’s, a cubist building, opened on February 14, 1972. In 1984, Liberty House shuttered operations as part of a wind down of its U.S. mainland stores to focus on its stores in
Hawaii and a
Macy's opened in its place as the center south anchor store shortly thereafter, moving some of its operations from Birdcage Walk (now the Marketplace at Birdcage), a competing shopping center across Sunrise Boulevard. In 1996, Weinstock's was converted into a second Macy's (Men's & Home store) after Weinstock's parent company,
Broadway Stores, was acquired by Macy's parent company, Federated Department Stores (now
Macy's, Inc.) in 1995, moving the rest of its operations from Birdcage. Sunrise Mall underwent an extensive interior renovation for the first time in 1999, and in 2007, a 500-seat food court with a fireplace was added in the corridor between JCPenney and Macy's Men's & Home. In 2015,
Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Sunrise Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. In November of the same year, Spinoso Real Estate Group acquired the mall from Steadfast Companies. In July 2018, the Sears store was shuttered as part of the closure of 24 stores nationwide. The mall was purchased by
Namdar Realty Group on December 20, 2018. In March 2025, the two Macy's stores closed as part of a closure of 66 stores nationwide, which also included a longtime store nearby at the
Downtown Commons in
Downtown Sacramento. This has left JCPenney as the only remaining anchor store as of May 2025. The owner is seeking a buyer for the mall.
Redevelopment efforts and recent developments By the late 2010s and early 2020s, Sunrise Mall experienced significant decline, with multiple anchor tenants closing and occupancy dropping sharply. City officials began exploring redevelopment options in response to the mall’s deteriorating condition and declining retail environment. In 2021 the City of Citrus Heights adopted the
Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan, which proposed a long-term transformation of the approximately 100-acre site into a mixed-use district featuring a pedestrian-oriented “main street,” housing, hotels, offices, and retail uses. However, progress toward implementing the plan was limited in the years following its adoption.
Ethan Conrad Proposal In 2022, real estate investor
Ethan Conrad purchased approximately 25 acres at the southern end of the mall property, including the former Sears building and surrounding parking areas. Conrad proposed amendments to the Sunrise Tomorrow plan that would have focused more heavily on retail redevelopment rather than large-scale demolition and reconstruction. His concept included the addition of major retailers such as
Home Depot and
In-N-Out Burger, as well as other commercial uses including entertainment venues and service businesses within existing structures. Citrus Heights city officials expressed concern that Conrad’s proposal did not align with the long-term mixed-use vision outlined in the Sunrise Tomorrow plan. In April 2025 the Citrus Heights City Council declined to consider the requested amendments. Following the council’s decision, Conrad withdrew from negotiations to purchase the remainder of the mall property from its primary owner, Namdar Realty Group, though he retained ownership of his portion of the site and indicated he might pursue redevelopment on a smaller scale. As the mall continued to decline, the City of Citrus Heights reported increasing concerns related to maintenance, safety, and crime on the property. A city inspection in May 2025 identified numerous health and safety violations involving fire codes, structural conditions, sanitation, and property maintenance. The city issued hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and later filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that the property had become a public nuisance and seeking court-ordered corrective action and payment of outstanding penalties. The planned facility, known as
Sunrise Sports Center, is being developed by Mettle Shop and is expected to include a 4,000-seat arena, a 126,000-square-foot covered turf field, indoor ice facilities, and outdoor sports fields, along with a bar and restaurant. The complex would occupy a portion of the mall site and serve as the anchor for a broader redevelopment including restaurants, entertainment venues, and several hundred residential units. ==World TeamTennis==