Sentinel staff report–
Plans for a pizza drive-thru restaurant on Auburn Boulevard were approved by the city’s Planning Commission in 2018, but more than three years later the building still stands empty and a for sale sign has since appeared outside.
The site at 7766 Auburn Blvd., near Antelope Road and across from Rusch Park, was once a gas station and later served briefly as a donation site for a company called ReUseIt. In 2017, the 16,000-square-foot corner property was purchased by entrepreneur Mercer Tyson, who received approval from the city the following year to convert the building into a California Quick Slice pizza drive-thru.
Tyson previously told The Sentinel the restaurant would feature several varieties of pizzas that would be pre-made daily and served up hot by the slice at the drive-thru, or picked up for take-and-bake at home.
In 2019, Tyson told The Sentinel that financing difficulties had delayed his plans, and in July of last year he said he had acquired a building permit and hoped to have financing approved within two month, with construction starting later in 2020.
His plans were tragically cut short however, as his son-in-law confirmed with The Sentinel that Tyson passed away in January of this year.
An obituary published in the East Bay Times said Tyson died on Jan. 11, 2021, at the age of 71. He was a long time resident of Orinda, California, prior to moving to Lincoln. He left behind three children and four grandchildren.
Tyson’s son-in-law said plans for the Auburn Boulevard site are unknown, as the future use will be determined by a new owner. He said there has been “a lot of interest” in the property due to it having been approved for a drive-thru, but also said there’s also been interest from those who want to turn it back into a gas station.
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