Sheetz to replace Sacred Heart church, Apple Annie’s

ROSEVILLE — A new gas station and convenience store is set to come to Roseville, replacing a long-vacant piece of the city’s history.

Sheetz will be located on Gratiot Avenue between Martin and Utica roads, replacing the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart church and Apple Annie’s Kitchen & Bakery. The site plan for the project was approved at a Feb. 3 Roseville Planning Commission meeting.

Nick Ruffner, public affairs manager for Sheetz, spoke about the new location in an emailed statement.

“Sheetz can confirm it is planning to build a store at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Utica Road, and we are excited to be joining the Roseville community,” Ruffner stated. “Given that the building located at this site has been abandoned for several years, we are working with local officials to stimulate economic growth, create meaningful jobs, and bring new opportunities to the area.”

The chain was founded in 1952 by Bob Sheetz and has expanded across the United States with over 600 locations.

The church has been vacant since 2017. In 2023, a storage unit facility, dubbed Myspace Roseville through MySpace Self Storage, was planned to take over the church, the Christian Financial Credit Union and a vacant lot in the area. The plans intended to use the existing structures. According to a previous Eastsider article, retail space would have also been available.

A conditional rezoning was approved at a Sept. 26, 2023, Roseville City Council meeting, but Myspace’s development never materialized.

Sacred Heart’s roots stretch back to 1861. Daniel and Margaret Corby donated the 3 acres of land the church was built on, according to Roseville Historical Society member David Bommarito. Originally, the church was a wooden structure on the property. Gratiot Avenue widened in 1928, which necessitated changes. Only the basement was completed before the Great Depression hit. During this time, services were held in the basement. The new building finally had a groundbreaking in 1949 and its cornerstone was laid the following year.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina Catholic Church, which owned the Sacred Heart property, stated in a lengthy Facebook post that Sheetz had the best offer for the purchase. The statement details how the church had owned the property for the last nine years, paying out $40,000 annually in property taxes to Roseville. It also explains the burden of paying to safeguard the church from vandals.

“A couple of bidders emerged about a year ago, and Sheetz was by far the winning bidder by about $500,000,” the post states. “We signed a purchase agreement this past summer and look to close by the end of this summer. We thank the City of Roseville for supporting St. Pio in the process of selecting a buyer for its vacant church property.”

St. Pio’s post looked to dispel social media rumors about “secret meetings” with Sheetz.

“St. Pio didn’t hide anything, in fact two public Planning Commission meetings helped in bringing about a successful purchase agreement,” the post states.

At its Jan. 23, 2024, meeting, City Council rezoned the property from R-1, residential, to B-3, business district, following approval from the Planning Commission. At the Feb. 3, 2025, Planning Commission meeting, the project’s site plan was unanimously approved. Unlike Roseville’s City Council meetings, video recordings are not available for Planning Commission meetings.

Apple Annie’s co-owner Leonard Pagano said the offer came at a good time.

“I’m going to be 65 and I am thinking the end is coming near for me and this came along and it worked out good,” Pagano said. “It was a clean-out for me.”

Pagano opened the restaurant in 1998 with partner Dan Rubino. Since customers have heard the news, Pagano said he’s heard positive things about the restaurant.

“They appreciated me being here and are glad to see I’m finally retiring,” Pagano said. “I mean, they’re sorry to see me leaving, but they’re glad for the reason I’m leaving. … All good things have to come to an end.”

Pagano is grateful for the business his restaurant has received over the years.

“We’ve had a very good business here and thank the customers from the bottom of my heart that have been loyal to me all these years,” he said.

Roseville City Councilman Bill Shoemaker attended Sacred Heart for more than 40 years. He was baptized at the church and regularly attended, with some gaps, until the church’s closing Jan. 23, 2017.

“I certainly don’t love the idea, but something has to happen,” Shoemaker said of Sheetz moving in. “The doors have been closed for eight years.”

Shoemaker has fond memories of the church. He recalled getting to know the priests at the church throughout the years and his opportunity to be a lector. He called Sacred Heart’s annual festival “the gem of festivals” in Roseville.

“A lot of good memories,” he said.

Shoemaker also frequented Apple Annie’s and said his brother once worked there.

“That’s where we went after Sacred Heart,” Shoemaker said. “We’d go to Mass, we’d have breakfast or lunch at Apple Annie’s.”

In Ruffner’s statement, he talked about the desire for Sheetz to be a part of the community.

“At Sheetz, our goal with every store is to create a project that positively impacts the community and becomes a source of pride for residents,” he said. “As we continue to collaborate with municipal officials on this site, we are committed to adhering to responsible development practices, ensuring this project complements its surrounding communities and honors the legacy of the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church.”

Sheetz’s expansion in Michigan has been swift. Its first Michigan location in Romulus broke ground March 14, 2024. According to a Sheetz press release, the chain is set to open 50-60 locations in southeastern Michigan in the next five to six years. Thirteen locations will begin construction in 2025-26. At times, the push has been controversial.

For example, a Sheetz location in Fraser was approved in the face of substantial public pushback. The location will replace the former State Bank of Fraser building at the intersection of 14 Mile and Utica roads. While the Fraser Planning Commission denied the Sheetz location, the Fraser City Council approved a conditional rezoning of the property at an Oct. 30, 2024, meeting that lasted nearly five hours. The majority of those who commented spoke against the development, yet council voted 5-2 to approve the development.

Sheetz has also faced opposition in Eastpointe and Warren in 2024, though both locations were approved. However, the Madison Heights City Council blocked the business from coming to the city last year.