Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

House at 1619 J Street historical? Guffaw.

Council removes designation, owner to move it and build apartments

The San Diego City Council on Wednesday, April 30, removed the historic designation for a house at 1619 J Street — but is banking on the owner, Jerry Navarra, to move it rather than tear it down.

"I made the offer and I hope to keep it, but I have to find someone to take the house," Navarra said.

The Sanford B. Myers Spec House #1 (Historical Resources Board #751) was built in 1906 and is wedged between a squat beige house with the Rolling Stones' lips logo on the fence and an apartment building.

The structure was declared a historic resource in April 2006 despite a fight from the previous owner, according to city documents, which describe the house as "A representative example of working class transitional vernacular residential architecture during the third phase of development on East Village beginning in 1906 and ending in 1921."

Sponsored
Sponsored

It is one of three such houses still standing, according to the report. City records indicate that the historic designation was applied for several years ago, after Katalyst, LLC had begun plans to demolish it and other houses next door to build an apartment building. Katalyst (not a Navarra entity) scheduled appeals hearings for a year and then stopped in 2007. The property fell into default in 2008 and was transferred to a bank the next year. Navarra bought the house in 2011, knowing the designation was in place.

Councilmember Sherri Lightner noted that Navarra knew the problems with the house when he bought it. Lightner was the one “nay” vote in removing the designation.

"A business decision was made here," Lightner said of Navarra's decision to buy the property. "The historic properties may not be protected because of what we do here." But the other councilmembers found that there were factual errors in the 2006 finding that made overturning the designation possible — over the concerns of city staff.

"I walked through the house and I couldn't see it," councilmember Scott Sherman said.

Removing the designation drastically reduces the fees involved in moving the house — which Navarra has pledged to pay for if someone will take it.

"I can write you a check for $50,000 and you can do the rest or I'll do the Super Duper Mover package," Navarra said.

Moving a historic resource house requires a deposit of $8,000 to $10,000 for the city permit, a California Environmental Quality Act review, and "several tens of thousands of dollars" for permits. That's before moving day. It also means the owner has to hire six pros: a qualified historian, architect, monitor, and a qualified mover among them, said Navarra.

Lifting the designation makes moving the house cost much less, and $50,000 should cover it, Navarra said. He noted that there had been talks with takers who wanted to use the structure as a church. Once it's gone, Navarra plans to develop the parcel.

"What belongs there is an apartment building like the one right next door to it," Navarra said. "It's infill and it's better for the neighborhood." Navarra's fight to remove the city's designation stalled for seven months while the only employee who could review his appeal was on leave, he noted. It took 18 months to get an opinion from 2006 reviewed.

Navarra sees the case as being about private-property rights and about how the city council needs to manage the Historical Resources Board better. He read aloud part of the municipal ordinance behind the board — arguing that the house didn't really qualify.

"My case is more about that I uncovered the part of the municipal code that says that it's about the general public being able to appreciate the historic significance of a project, not just expert historians. That historic designation is for those places and things where people look at them and say, ‘This is something special,’” he said.

Bruce Coons of Save Our Heritage Organisation says the Sanford Myers House is something special: “It was worker housing in Sherman Heights — we've done little preservation of worker housing in San Diego and almost none of middle-class housing," Coons said. "This designation is the only way to keep having this conversation."

But council president Todd Gloria saw it differently.

"There's a reasonableness to allowing the house to be moved and that's rarely the outcome to let a historic house be moved," Gloria said. "In this case, moving and preserving the house and letting development go forward is a win-win-win."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024

The San Diego City Council on Wednesday, April 30, removed the historic designation for a house at 1619 J Street — but is banking on the owner, Jerry Navarra, to move it rather than tear it down.

"I made the offer and I hope to keep it, but I have to find someone to take the house," Navarra said.

The Sanford B. Myers Spec House #1 (Historical Resources Board #751) was built in 1906 and is wedged between a squat beige house with the Rolling Stones' lips logo on the fence and an apartment building.

The structure was declared a historic resource in April 2006 despite a fight from the previous owner, according to city documents, which describe the house as "A representative example of working class transitional vernacular residential architecture during the third phase of development on East Village beginning in 1906 and ending in 1921."

Sponsored
Sponsored

It is one of three such houses still standing, according to the report. City records indicate that the historic designation was applied for several years ago, after Katalyst, LLC had begun plans to demolish it and other houses next door to build an apartment building. Katalyst (not a Navarra entity) scheduled appeals hearings for a year and then stopped in 2007. The property fell into default in 2008 and was transferred to a bank the next year. Navarra bought the house in 2011, knowing the designation was in place.

Councilmember Sherri Lightner noted that Navarra knew the problems with the house when he bought it. Lightner was the one “nay” vote in removing the designation.

"A business decision was made here," Lightner said of Navarra's decision to buy the property. "The historic properties may not be protected because of what we do here." But the other councilmembers found that there were factual errors in the 2006 finding that made overturning the designation possible — over the concerns of city staff.

"I walked through the house and I couldn't see it," councilmember Scott Sherman said.

Removing the designation drastically reduces the fees involved in moving the house — which Navarra has pledged to pay for if someone will take it.

"I can write you a check for $50,000 and you can do the rest or I'll do the Super Duper Mover package," Navarra said.

Moving a historic resource house requires a deposit of $8,000 to $10,000 for the city permit, a California Environmental Quality Act review, and "several tens of thousands of dollars" for permits. That's before moving day. It also means the owner has to hire six pros: a qualified historian, architect, monitor, and a qualified mover among them, said Navarra.

Lifting the designation makes moving the house cost much less, and $50,000 should cover it, Navarra said. He noted that there had been talks with takers who wanted to use the structure as a church. Once it's gone, Navarra plans to develop the parcel.

"What belongs there is an apartment building like the one right next door to it," Navarra said. "It's infill and it's better for the neighborhood." Navarra's fight to remove the city's designation stalled for seven months while the only employee who could review his appeal was on leave, he noted. It took 18 months to get an opinion from 2006 reviewed.

Navarra sees the case as being about private-property rights and about how the city council needs to manage the Historical Resources Board better. He read aloud part of the municipal ordinance behind the board — arguing that the house didn't really qualify.

"My case is more about that I uncovered the part of the municipal code that says that it's about the general public being able to appreciate the historic significance of a project, not just expert historians. That historic designation is for those places and things where people look at them and say, ‘This is something special,’” he said.

Bruce Coons of Save Our Heritage Organisation says the Sanford Myers House is something special: “It was worker housing in Sherman Heights — we've done little preservation of worker housing in San Diego and almost none of middle-class housing," Coons said. "This designation is the only way to keep having this conversation."

But council president Todd Gloria saw it differently.

"There's a reasonableness to allowing the house to be moved and that's rarely the outcome to let a historic house be moved," Gloria said. "In this case, moving and preserving the house and letting development go forward is a win-win-win."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.