A seemingly irreconcilable situation with a “perpetual remodel” under construction for more than seven years at 1676 Plum St. in Point Loma may have been resolved with the unfinished home’s recent announced sale.
Or has it? And how does that affect the ongoing court case against the property’s owner, Franisco Mendiola, who had a court-ordered Dec. 9 progress hearing, as well as a Jan. 7 deadline to either complete the unfinished mansion, dispose of the property or go to jail?
“I am happy to announce the house on Plum has been sold to a dentist who plans on moving in,” said Realtor Rena Gurnee Baxter of Baxter Realty Group Inc. “I can tell you that he is not an investor and plans on living in the home. He indicated that construction will resume within the next few weeks and that he plans on spending big money to complete the project. He seemed very excited and looked forward to getting started on the project, as of course we are.”
Baxter noted the new property owner “indicated to me that he will be in total compliance with the city and that part of the plan is to build two retaining walls,” adding, “He is very much aware of all the upset this has caused the neighbors and the court.”
Plum Street neighbors who’ve disapproved of numerous continuances granted extending the long-overdue housing project were encouraged by this most recent turn of events. But they were left with more questions than answers, remaining skeptical of the “legitimacy” of the new owner, their intentions and what impact, ultimately, the home’s sale will have on the dispensation of the property.
“A completed sale to a responsible owner would indeed be positive news,” said Plum Street resident Jon Linney. “But there has to be a better answer to the problem this house symbolizes. Uncompleted eyesores need to be stopped before they happen by adopting better city policies. The Plum Street neighbors suffered for seven years and had to organize before the city would do anything. The city staff and the City Attorney’s Office put in substantial amounts of time at a cost to the taxpayers.”
Linney went to note that here are too many “Plum Street eyesores in this city,” pointing to another house on Valemont above Canon Street in Point Loma, which he said “has been uncompleted for a quarter century.”
“There is a better way,” continued Linney, adding, “I would like to engage the neighbors with the cooperation of Councilwoman Lorie Zapf’s office and help draw up specific suggestions for stronger city policies. Completion deadlines for major projects or performance bonds are two ideas. “Ms. Zapf can submit a specific proposal to a council committee for support and the City Attorney’s Office can take it up then. Working together, we can prevent future eyesores, maybe on a street near you.”
Don Sevrens, a community activist who is also on the Peninsula Community Planning Board, noted that “the current owner clearly has shown an inability and unwillingness to finish the house. A court-ordered demolition probably would have involved four years of red tape.”
But, Sevrens added, “Formidable problems await the new owner, even with full disclosure. Will he find it cheaper to just tear down and start over? Wiring and the interior have been exposed to the elements for seven years. The roof is sagging. The lot is on a steep slope and, without a retaining wall, is the soil truly stable? This house is what it is: an innovative front, seashell style, with a back that resembles a racquetball wall.”
However, on a more positive note, Sevrens said, “The neighbors should applaud a new neighbor, someone willing to take on the challenge of ending this nightmare.”