Auburn Boulevard eyesore demolished

By Sara Beth Williams–
A boarded-up, abandoned house once visible to thousands of drivers passing by on Auburn Boulevard each day was demolished by the owner last month.

Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney announced in a Jan. 22 City Council meeting that the city and the owner of a dilapidated home on the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Cherry Glen Avenue would be demolishing the home.

Feeney said the property had been a code enforcement issue “for some time” before it was exposed to public view during initial construction on Auburn Boulevard last August.

A visit to the property Tuesday, Feb. 11, found the house demolished, with a pile of debris and a single small shed still remaining. As well, fencing surrounding a majority of the property line still remains, pieces of which have fallen over.

Neighbor Michelle Breisacher said the property owner “did all the work himself,” loading up his trailer, and making trips to the dump.

“All of us neighbors were so happy it was finally coming down,” Breisacher said Thursday, adding that the property was demolished sometime in January.

Breisacher, who has lived across the street for 40 years, told The Sentinel in August that she knew the previous owners. After the former property owners passed away, the home was sold and then sat vacant for years.

Removal of trees and shrubs earlier this year due to construction along Auburn Boulevard exposed the dilapidated, haunted-looking property, which was the scene of a small house fire in the middle of August 2024. 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 at least one tree that “posed a safety risk” and obstructed the construction of a new retaining wall along the property line and the sidewalk.

Before construction began on Auburn Boulevard at the end of the summer, the home, located at 7500 Cherry Glen Avenue, was completely surrounded by large trees and shrubs, Google Images show.

Residential real estate website Trulia shows the property on Cherry Glen Avenue sits on half an acre. 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.

Future plans for the property are unclear, however, Feeney said he is “looking forward” to the property becoming something that is a “future contributor” to the community.