The long-vacant Fry’s Electronics on Northgate Boulevard is getting an electric jolt of new life. City officials say Rivian has locked in a plan to convert a chunk of the shuttered big-box store into a roughly 60,000-square-foot showroom, service hub and delivery center that is expected to open in the third quarter of 2027.
The long-term lease covers part of the former Fry’s footprint in Natomas and will support customer deliveries, test drives and on-site maintenance, according to city announcements. Officials describe it as a customer-focused facility rather than a traditional dealership, with Rivian positioning the site as a place where buyers can see, drive and pick up vehicles in one trip.
Councilmember Lisa Kaplan’s office said Rivian has signed the lease for about 60,000 square feet at the property, with plans for a large showroom, demonstration stalls and vehicle service lifts, according to CBS Sacramento. The outlet notes that Rivian’s director of commercial facilities real estate, Tommy Carrillo, called Sacramento “critical to our growing commercial footprint in Northern California.”
The site sits just off the Northgate Boulevard exit of Interstate 80 and is part of a broader effort to overhaul the property, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. Local notices indicate the Natomas project will be Rivian’s second major Sacramento-area investment, following a 480,000-square-foot parts distribution center planned at Metro Air Park in 2025. City officials expect the Northgate showroom to come online in the third quarter of 2027.
What Rivian Will Build
The Northgate facility is slated to follow Rivian’s “Spaces” concept, a combo setup that folds showroom, demo drives and repair bays into a single destination. Customers will be able to pick up new vehicles, schedule service and take test drives all at the same address.
Rivian already lists a Service + Demo Center in West Sacramento on its Spaces locations page, part of a strategy to pair retail access with local repair capacity, according to Rivian Spaces. The Natomas site would extend that footprint to the north side of Sacramento, giving EV shoppers another place to kick the tires, so to speak.
Jobs And Local Impact
Kaplan’s office said the project is expected to bring roughly 35 to 45 jobs, including service technicians, sales staff and customer support roles, according to CBS Sacramento. It is not a massive hiring wave, but city leaders frame it as a meaningful bump for District 1 and a sign that bigger industrial deals in the area are starting to pull in recognizable tenants.
Officials also anticipate more commercial activity along the Northgate corridor as redevelopment progresses. Neighbors could see an uptick in delivery trucks, service visits and test-drive traffic near the I-80 Northgate exit once Rivian’s operations fully ramp up.
Fry's Past And The Northgate Industrial Park
The once-gargantuan electronics store is being reborn as Northgate Industrial Park. Developer LaTerra Development plans to convert the 17.6-acre former Fry’s site at 4100 Northgate Boulevard into two industrial buildings totaling about 265,686 square feet, while keeping dock and grade-level door access in place for trucks, according to LaTerra Development.
The Rivian lease will occupy part of the existing building and serves as an early tenant win as the owner reshapes the parcel for distribution and light industrial uses. For Natomas residents tired of staring at an empty big box, it marks a concrete step from retail graveyard toward active commercial site.
Rivian and the city have so far outlined only the broad strokes, including the anticipated opening window and general scope of work. Specific construction milestones, staffing details and public-facing hours are expected to roll out as the project moves through permitting and build-out. For deeper coverage on the lease and redevelopment plans, see reporting from The Sacramento Bee and coverage from CBS Sacramento.
