Jeff Phair and his wife were enjoying a Labor Day drive through the backcountry around Temecula when the dinosaur \u201ccame up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the way Phair described how he came across the sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus rex that now sits atop a property he owns and will soon be developing, located off Eastridge Drive in La Mesa.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and my sons and I installed it there as a tribute to my boys more than anything else,\u201d Phair said. \u201cWhen they were little \u2014 they\u2019re now in their 30s \u2014 they loved dinosaurs.\u201d<\/p>\n And so do a lot of other people. After the dinosaur was installed at the property, news organizations reported on the sculpture that appeared somewhat mysteriously on the vacant lot. La Mesa Courier received a letter and photo from nearby resident Alice Hobson requesting \u201csome investigative reporting\u201d on her new neighbor the dinosaur.<\/p>\n As news about the recent sculpture got out, curious people came to visit the new art piece.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw this on the news and I thought it would be cool to come see it,\u201d said Julie Good, who visited the prehistoric display on Sept. 23. \u201cI have some friends coming to visit next weekend who are really big dinosaur fans so I wanted to send them a picture and will come show them when they get here.\u201d<\/p>\n Nancy Faulkner saw an article about the T. rex in the Union-Tribune. She said the sculpture reminded her of others she had seen in the desert.<\/p>\n \u201cI love stuff like this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been out there and seen those and it does look similar.\u201d<\/p>\n And she is right. Phair and his family purchased the T. rex, which they named \u201cToby,\u201d from artist Ricardo Breceda, known for his metal sculptures of animals and dinosaurs. Many of these are displayed in places like Borrego Springs.<\/p>\n The Breceda dinosaur sculpture is the first structure to be placed on the 10-acre property that Phair\u2019s company is transforming into La Mesa Summit Estates, a new subdivision project of around 30 high-end homes that was given its final green light by the City Council on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n The project will be a mix of four- and five-bedroom houses \u2014 mostly single story \u2014 with porches that highlight the views.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single house has a view of either the ocean, Downtown San Diego, Point Loma, Cowles Mountain, the backcountry mountains or Mexico \u2014 every lot has a view,\u201d Phair said.<\/p>\n The homes will be in a private community on a gated street. There will also be a park built in the neighborhood, where the dinosaur sculpture will be installed permanently. But fans of Toby the T. rex do not have to worry about being shut out from enjoying him \u2014 the project calls for the park to have an access point that is open to the public.<\/p>\n In addition to building a park for the neighborhood, the Summit Estates project includes money for improving pedestrian safety at the intersection of Eastridge Drive, Yale Avenue and Murray Hill Road through enhancements that include parallel curb ramps, rapid rectangular beacon signage and continental crosswalks.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/toby3.jpg\")
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