Design plans under review for proposed church on Auburn Blvd

By Sara Beth Williams–
An area Ukrainian church has submitted architectural plans for their newly acquired 50,500-square-foot commercial space on Auburn Boulevard, according to the city. Previously, Studio Movie Grill had once planned to occupy the space.

Spring of Life Church purchased the vacant building for $3.95 million last fall, according to prior reports. Online documents show that the church design includes a worship center that can accommodate up to 950 people, a children’s Sunday School section that can accommodate 370 children, and additional meeting spaces, office spaces, and a café.

Additionally, the church plans to turn a 4,892-square-foot retail space adjacent to the proposed church building into a children’s indoor play facility that would accommodate up to 150 people and would be open six days a week.

“The church remodel aims to create a dynamic and inclusive space that not only serves as a place of worship but also as a community hub,” the church wrote in initial plans submitted to the city. A representative of Spring of Life Church declined to provide further comment on the architectural plans under review but told The Sentinel that the church’s tentative opening date is in the year 2026.

“Citrus Grove Shopping Center is an important anchor of our Auburn Blvd. commercial corridor,” Citrus Heights Economic Development and Community Engagement Director Meghan Huber told The Sentinel, adding that the city hopes the plaza will achieve full occupancy and generate economic activity that “benefits all adjacent businesses.” The city confirmed that Spring of Life has applied for Use and Design Review permits, and the design is under review at this time.

The building is located at 8501 Auburn Blvd. and was previously home to a Kmart until 2016. Studio Movie Grill then submitted plans for the building, but the project was officially abandoned in 2021 amid the company’s bankruptcy filing in 2020.

Related: Studio Movie Grill confirms plans for Citrus Heights location are cancelled – Citrus Heights Sentinel

An adjacent portion of the building, once home to Big Lots from April 2019 to January 2023, was not included in Spring of Life’s acquisition. No applications have been submitted for the former Big Lots building, the city said.

Phase 2 of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project, which was finalized and approved by the City Council on May 9, will include significant revitalization in front of the Citrus Grove shopping center, including the installation of new medians, new landscaping, and a new turn signal south of Whyte Avenue, which will allow for safer turning into and out of area businesses and allow for pedestrians to easily and safely cross from one side of Auburn Boulevard to the other.

Spring of Life currently lists an address of 5948 Pecan Ave., in Orangevale, and its website shows five service times on Sundays, including one in English.