What’s going on with that vacant house off Auburn Boulevard?

By Sara Beth Williams–
Recent removal of trees and shrubs along Auburn Boulevard has exposed a boarded-up home, which was the scene of a fire on Monday.

The home is located at 7500 Cherry Glen Ave. and is now visible to passersby on Auburn Boulevard. A neighbor told The Sentinel on Friday that the home has appeared to be vacant for several years.

The dwelling was red-tagged by the City of Citrus Heights following an Aug. 19 fire that officials say was caused by a homeless person who was temporarily occupying the inside of the vacant two-story property. The suspect was “burning the sheath off the copper wiring in the home, presumably to recycle it for money,” Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn told The Sentinel on Monday.

“It’s very shocking to see it right now,” neighbor Michelle Breisacher said, noting the corner property used to be surrounded by trees up until recently.

A visit to the property on Monday found much of the landscaping had been removed, with the front doorway and an upper window left broken and open. It appeared that the fencing surrounding the portion of the property facing Auburn Boulevard had also been broken or removed, along with most of the trees along the street side.

Breisacher, who has lived in her home for over 40 years, said she knew the former occupants of the corner property. The property was sold to another couple after both prior occupants passed away, according to Breisacher.

Residential real estate website Trulia shows the property on Cherry Glen Avenue sits on half-an-acre and is zoned for residential and commercial use. The four-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom home is reported by Trulia to have last sold for $270,000 in February 2019, however Sacramento County Assessor’s Office records indicate the property changed ownership most recently in August 2022.

City spokesperson Marisa Brown said in an email on Friday that the property owner removed several trees from the property in March of this year “without authorization,” while their application for demolition and reconstruction of a new home was under review. The application was put on hold “due to unresolved tree violations.” The city said the violations remain unresolved.

Separately, as part of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets revitalization project, the city confirmed that it received permission from the owner of the home to remove a tree that “posed a safety risk” and obstructed the construction of a new retaining wall along the property line and the sidewalk.

After the Aug. 19 fire, the Building and Safety Division inspected the building on the same day with the owner’s permission, the city said. Following the inspection, an “Unsafe to Occupy” placard was posted, and the owner was contacted to secure the site.

The city said a condemnation notice for the property has not been issued, and said the owner has been “cooperative” in discussing options and plans to “follow a compliance timeline.”

Breisacher said the person who started the fire was arrested on Monday, but returned Thursday to collect a pile of belongings that had been left out near the corner property.

From Monday: Suspect arrested after fire inside vacant Citrus Heights home