Here's something you might be interested in.
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
Will North Park Woolworth's ever be renovated?
2012 plan replaced by 2020 one
Storefront on Nov. 19
Renovations of historic buildings often move at a snail’s pace. An example is the former Woolworth’s store in North Park, standing vacant for many years. Located at 3067-3075 University Avenue, its last tenant was a nonprofit thrift store.
In 2020, North Park Gateway, LLC entered into a new disposition and development agreement with the City of San Diego. It set the financial terms of the renovation project. It stated a purchase price of $1.4 million, with about $231,000 allocated for the city. The rest will be divided up by local taxing agencies. The city will provide a $100,000 forgivable loan for public improvements.
From the North Park Historical Society
The original construction estimate was $2.4 million, but due to increased construction costs, it will be a much larger amount. North Park Gateway principals are listed as architect Bejan Arfaa and Lyda Cohen, agent for service.
San Diego’s historic designations require that a structure “embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship.” In 2012, the local Historical Resources Board cited its Streamline Moderne architecture, and features including the flat roof and parapet, stucco exterior, and sash awning windows.
Original entryway
Aria Pounaki, a longtime North Park local and housing expert, emailed this comment: “I’m hopeful that the funding and entitlement for the project can move forward for the greater utility and enjoyment of North Park residents, since the structure as it exists now actively takes away from what is currently one of the most dynamic parts of the neighborhood.”
Asked for an update, city of San Diego development spokesperson Jerry McCormick told me,"We are working with the developer to keep the project on track and fulfill the obligations in the DDA. No additional updates at this time."
However, Amie Hayes, senior historic resources specialist with Save Our Heritage Organisation further explained the delays. Hayes said the initial plan “is from 2012 and was never completed, and has now expired.” Hayes added: “The current 2020 project appears to be going through a permitting process now, and historic staff has yet to sign off on this.”
The current city development application states: “Second floor to be 10 new residential units, residential units also on the first floor. Public Improvements under separate permit.” The architect has recently paid permit fees of $15,336.05 to the city.
Hayes clarified the historic designation process: “From the City staff we understand the reviewer on this project sent it back for revisions in order to be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards, and the applicant has not yet resubmitted.”
Katherine Hon, secretary of North Park Historical Society, provided an image from the the society's book, Images of America: San Diego’s North Park.
The North Park Woolworth's was constructed in 1949 by Trepte Construction Co. The company built the San Diego Sports Arena, First National Bank building at 530 B St., the Old Globe Theatre rebuild in 1981, and a facility at North Island Naval Station.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Will North Park Woolworth's ever be renovated?
2012 plan replaced by 2020 one
Will North Park Woolworth's ever be renovated?
2012 plan replaced by 2020 one
Storefront on Nov. 19
Renovations of historic buildings often move at a snail’s pace. An example is the former Woolworth’s store in North Park, standing vacant for many years. Located at 3067-3075 University Avenue, its last tenant was a nonprofit thrift store.
In 2020, North Park Gateway, LLC entered into a new disposition and development agreement with the City of San Diego. It set the financial terms of the renovation project. It stated a purchase price of $1.4 million, with about $231,000 allocated for the city. The rest will be divided up by local taxing agencies. The city will provide a $100,000 forgivable loan for public improvements.
From the North Park Historical Society
The original construction estimate was $2.4 million, but due to increased construction costs, it will be a much larger amount. North Park Gateway principals are listed as architect Bejan Arfaa and Lyda Cohen, agent for service.
San Diego’s historic designations require that a structure “embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship.” In 2012, the local Historical Resources Board cited its Streamline Moderne architecture, and features including the flat roof and parapet, stucco exterior, and sash awning windows.
Original entryway
Aria Pounaki, a longtime North Park local and housing expert, emailed this comment: “I’m hopeful that the funding and entitlement for the project can move forward for the greater utility and enjoyment of North Park residents, since the structure as it exists now actively takes away from what is currently one of the most dynamic parts of the neighborhood.”
Asked for an update, city of San Diego development spokesperson Jerry McCormick told me,"We are working with the developer to keep the project on track and fulfill the obligations in the DDA. No additional updates at this time."
However, Amie Hayes, senior historic resources specialist with Save Our Heritage Organisation further explained the delays. Hayes said the initial plan “is from 2012 and was never completed, and has now expired.” Hayes added: “The current 2020 project appears to be going through a permitting process now, and historic staff has yet to sign off on this.”
The current city development application states: “Second floor to be 10 new residential units, residential units also on the first floor. Public Improvements under separate permit.” The architect has recently paid permit fees of $15,336.05 to the city.
Hayes clarified the historic designation process: “From the City staff we understand the reviewer on this project sent it back for revisions in order to be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards, and the applicant has not yet resubmitted.”
Katherine Hon, secretary of North Park Historical Society, provided an image from the the society's book, Images of America: San Diego’s North Park.
The North Park Woolworth's was constructed in 1949 by Trepte Construction Co. The company built the San Diego Sports Arena, First National Bank building at 530 B St., the Old Globe Theatre rebuild in 1981, and a facility at North Island Naval Station.
Comments