By Sara Beth Williams–
Several new electric vehicle charging stations at the southern end of the Sunrise Mall appears to be nearly complete.
Heavy construction equipment and large piles of dirt could be seen for weeks on the southern edge of the Sunrise Mall near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Macy Plaza Drive. The city confirmed in an email that a new electric vehicle charging station was being constructed on the portion of the property owned by Ethan Conrad Properties.
The Citrus Heights Community Development Department said the city issued a building permit on March 21 for the project and referred questions about the timeline of construction to the property owner. An EV charging station was also indicated on the updated site map of property owner Ethan Conrad Properties’ former informal proposal requesting an amendment to the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan. Though the amendment request was rejected, Ethan Conrad Properties’ CEO Ethan Conrad indicated he would still pursue development on the 21 acres he owns.
On a visit to the site on Saturday, Sentinel staff found a line of EV charging stations appearing to be nearly completed, with fencing still surrounding the site. Sentinel staff are still awaiting an update from the property owner on an anticipated date of official operation for the EV charging stations.
The state of California has passed multiple laws in relation to electric vehicles, including a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Sales Mandate, and several laws regarding EV charging infrastructure.
AB 1236, which passed in 2015, mandates that local governments streamline the permitting process for EV charging stations, requiring administrative approval for compliant installations and prohibiting unnecessary restrictions.
AB 970, passed in 2021, establishes strict timelines for local jurisdictions to approve or deny EV charging station applications. It also prohibits requiring replacement of parking spaces removed for charger installations.
Effective Jan. 1, 2023, a set of CALGreen building code updates require new residential and commercial buildings to include a certain percentage of infrastructure for EV charging.
About a quarter of all new cars registered in California in 2023 and in 2024 were electric cars, according to a Feb. 5 article from CalMatters. However, flat sales followed several years of rapid growth, and sales are still far below the state’s 35 percent target.
The California Energy Commission recently announced in March that the state now has 178,549 public and shared private electric vehicle chargers installed, which exceeds an estimated 120,000 standard gasoline nozzles statewide. The energy commission also said California has “doubled down” on EV infrastructure, approving a $1.4 billion investment plan to expand its charging and hydrogen network.
