
By Mike Hazlip—
Construction of a large, new church building has been proposed on Old Auburn Road, city documents show.
The facility, proposed by the Mission Rock of Salvation Church, would occupy parcels totaling about two acres of land near Sylvan Corners, with access from both Old Auburn Road and Auburn Boulevard. If approved, the sanctuary would seat 351 people, and plans include a lobby, coffee and snack area, and offices.
Entrance and exit routes along Old Auburn Road and Auburn Boulevard provide traffic flow to parking spaces along the north and east side of the facility, according to the site plan. The city is currently reviewing the plans.
The 15,897-square-foot building would have metal siding and decorative columns, plans show. Stucco exterior is also described. Site work would include improvements for accessibility, walkways, underground utilities, and landscaping among other improvements.
Pastor Angel Nolasco told The Sentinel in 2017 that he planned to improve the heavily-trafficked site that was once home to several boarded-up buildings. The buildings belonged to the property owner and were left abandoned after his death.
Former Citrus Heights History and Arts Commissioner Larry Fritz previously told The Sentinel the two homes purchased by Nolasco’s ministry are located on what was originally known as Aiston Ranch. He said the Aiston family sold the property to the Trainor-Desmond Company, who then subdivided the land in 1910 and named the area “Citrus Heights.”
The two homes were eventually purchased by the Rohland family, who have a long history in Citrus Heights. Fritz said a 1960 phone directory lists one of the homes as the address of Duke Rohland, who was president and manager of Sylvan Lumber.
The lumber company was located around the corner at 7200 Auburn Blvd., where Sylvan Supply Fabrication currently operates, and bordered the back of Rohland’s home. Fritz said that meant Rohland and his wife, the company’s bookkeeper, “could walk to work through their back yard and keep an eye on their business at night.”
The homes remained in the Rohland family name until being acquired by the church in 2016.
Near the proposed church is another proposal for a 95-home residential development by Woodside Homes. The proposal calls for 70 traditional single-family homes and 25 lots with an alley entrance to the garage.
Homes on the 25 lots are proposed to face outward toward Auburn Boulevard in an effort to increase the curb appeal of the busy thoroughfare. City plans show 84 homes would be market-rate, while 14 are shown as affordable units.
Related: What’s happening with the plan to build 95 homes at Sylvan Corners?