We have written previously about how new cities in Sacramento County are healing the damage done to their communities resulting from decades of neglect by the County. Elk Grove's Old Town, Rancho Cordova's mixed use Capital Village, and Citrus Height's vision for the decaying Sunrise Mall are all demonstations of forward progress cities can make.

 Recently, the Business Journal reported (Ben van der Meer, "Ellwood Commercial moving ahead on plan for hotel at Sunrise Mall", Sacramento Business Journal, May 28, 2024) that City of Citrus Heights Planning Commission approved a tentative parcel map for a 2.8 acre portion of the Sunrise Mall property. The approval enables a step ahead for the city's "Sunrise Tomorrow" project that seeks significant changes at the Sunrise Mall site, including mixed use commercial/residential and hotel developments. At Sunrise, the City of Citrus Heights is betting on long-term sustainability. The city is steering its own local economy by putting some regulatory action and public money into the mix there. By contrast, Sacramento County's economic development "strategy" (such as it is) involves sitting around and waiting to see if someone will try to make a short-term quick buck with tenant improvements to attract new commercial renters - as has been the case at the mostly vacant Country Club Plaza and County Club Center's failed Amazon Fresh ghost store. Arden Arcade could demonstrate similar progress if it was a municipality with control over is own destiny. Of course, that can't happen unless local people decide that's what they want. Think about that for a moment...what do you want for our community? Are you willing to help make it happen?  Please let us know your thoughts.