Catholic Diocese Selling More Real Estate North of Bay Area

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa is shedding more real estate as it deals with bankruptcy reorganization and hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse.

The latest listings include five properties north of the Bay Area, including some vacant acres in Sebastopol, a vineyard in Yountville, a small home in Napa, undeveloped acres in Rio Dell and a long-vacant former clergy residence next to a church in downtown Santa Rosa, the Press Democrat reported. The new listings come after the sale last fall of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Cloverdale for $50,000 and the St. Francis church in Hopland for $275,000.

The Sebastopol property is nearly 2.5 acres north of Valentine Avenue and south of Saint Sebastian Church. Last fall, the diocese submitted an application to the city to split the 6.4-acre lot into a church parcel and a vacant parcel to sell. Potential buyers have already submitted offers on the property, though sales via bankruptcy court can take several months as purchase agreements must be approved by a judge and are open to being outbid by other parties.

In Yountville, the diocese is looking to offload a 12.4-acre vineyard behind Saint Joan of Arc church. That listing also includes a roughly 0.7-acre easement to access the vineyard from Highway 29. Zoning for that site allows for between 10 and 20 housing units per acre.

To the west in Santa Rosa, a sale is currently pending for the former residence for bishops and priests next to the historic Saint Rose of Lima Church. The 5,300-square-foot home at 547 B Street was listed for $475,000 and has been vacant for roughly a decade. A potential buyer has already deposited earnest money, or a percentage of the purchase price placed into an escrow account, with the diocese to secure the property in court.

The Rio Dell property consists of 8.2 acres of undeveloped land at 800 Rigby Avenue. The acreage is listed for $749,000. The city of Rio Dell is willing to work with a developer to create a residential development there, according to the Press Democrat. And in Napa, the diocese is offering a 750-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom home at 918 Napa Street for $569,000. A sale is pending court review, per the Press Democrat.

— Chris Malone Méndez