Change May Subject Newer Homes to Historic Review

First, it was chickens: Coronado is the only city in San Diego County that doesn’t allow them. Now it's the age at which a house can be deemed historic.

For cities across the state a house can be labeled historic once it was built 50 years ago, but in Coronado it's not until the home is 75 years old. Along with the chicken issue, the City Council is taking a look at bringing its policy in line with other communities.

A change would mean homeowners who want to tear down a house built 50 or more years ago may need to have their plans reviewed by the Historic Resources Commission.

The number of homes that meet this criterion is “quite substantial,” real estate agent Dave Gillingham told the council.

Some might be considered of historic importance. Sim Bruce Richards, who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright, built a home for Admiral Paul Hord on First Street in 1952. , once part of a dispute with a homeowner and the reason the city is considering the policy change. Coronado also has landmark homes by other influential architects, including John Lautner and Loch Crane.

“These modernist master architects didn’t just appear from nowhere,” said Doug St. Denis, vice-chair of the Historical Resources Commission. “The legacy they left, that is so blithely discarded, is ground-breaking architecture.”

The council was not comfortable making a decision that would impact so many homeowners. Mayor Casey Tanaka suggested that the city find ways to publicize the changes more widely, so that the “public could weigh in” on the issue next month.

That the only notice given for the proposed change was a small ad on the back page of the Coronado Eagle & Journal didn’t sit well either. “It may have satisfied the letter of the law, but it doesn’t satisfy me,” Councilman Mike Woiwode said.

Another real estate agent, Mike Napolitano, said he wasn't sure if the public understands what the city is considering.

“My biggest concern is that the vast majority of property owners know nothing about what is being proposed,” he said.

The council approved another portion of the proposal designed to clarify language in the city’s designation guidelines, but the changes did not satisfy Councilwoman Carrie Downey, who first raised the issue.

“I just want to know if I own a home can I demolish it or not,” she said. “Reading these guidelines I can’t figure it out and I’m a lawyer.”