By Catherine Spearnak

The Uptown Planners and the public may hear the first ideas about the development for the long-empty Pernicano’s Restaurant site when the advisory group meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Joyce Beers Center in Hillcrest.

The once-famous Italian restaurant, frequented by celebrities and locals alike, has been vacant for more than three decades despite pleas by Hillcrest residents and local politicians to either reopen or demolish the decrepit building.

Jeannine Savory, Realtor for the property, told Uptown News that the family is in escrow with a specific buyer, who will be revealed in “one to two weeks.” However, she said, it will be one to two years before the sale is closed and development could begin.

The developer asked to appear before the Uptown Planners, Savory said, “because they want to be sensitive to the community and not compromise the integrity of the project.”

Pernicano’s is located in the middle of the Hillcrest community, bound by Fifth and Sixth avenues, and south of University Avenue. Owner George Pernicano has refused to sell for years, but now his twin sons, Gary and Larry, are in charge of the property. The Pernicanos are seeking a buyer who will develop a hotel and possibly a mixed-use property on the small acreage.

“The Pernicano site has been the subject of speculation for many years,” Uptown Planners member Tom Mullaney said in an email to the Uptown News.

“My hope is that the owner/developer will include some public open space in the design, such as a small plaza or landscaped area. There is so little open space in Hillcrest, so few public gathering places.”

—Catherine Spearnak is a San Diego-based freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].