The approval is the final decision for demolition of a historic resource.
In a final decision marking the end of a long road to renovation, plans for the property at 6110 Camino de la Costa have been approved by the San Diego Planning Commission.
The plans for the property – designated historic but with damage severe enough to warrant demolition – were approved July 25 at the San Diego Historical Resources Board.
At the Planning Commission’s Aug. 8 meeting, commissioners unanimously greenlit the coastal development, site development and neighborhood development permits to demolish the existing two-story home, also called “La Casa de Los Amigos” (House of the Friends) and construct a two-story, 8,649-square-foot single dwelling unit.
The project would also include a pool and associated site improvements such as hardscape and landscaping and would preserve the existing front wall and the detached garage with modifications.
The house was designated historic in January 2023 under local Criterion A (it’s the oldest intact residential structure in La Jolla Hermosa, built in 1924); Criterion B (the house was owned and occupied by nuclear physicist Herbert York from 1964 to 2009); Criterion C (as an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style); and Criterion D (the house is a notable work of master architect Herbert Palmer).
“Currently, the structures are showing signs of deterioration and evidence of cracking and movement,” city of San Diego development project manager Martin Mendez told the Commissioners, explaining why much of the historical resource must be renovated.
The renovations, however, became demolition due to California Coastal Commission regulations that now require homes be set more than 40 feet from the coastline; La Casa de Los Amigos was built within that setback.
The modifications to the existing site wall are required by the Coastal Commission to preserve the view corridors, Mendez said.
After two years of work on the plans, “we’ve come to a fantastic resolution that maintains the historicity on the street and the perception that the house was never removed,” said applicant representative Matthew Segal.
“This is a well-designed project,” said Planning Commision Vice Chair Matthew Boomhower. “I think it does a good job trying to preserve … the historicity of the site, from the street at least, and just recognizing that the property is pretty structurally compromised.”
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