Louise_Torio

Comments by Louise_Torio

Villa Montezuma. Wish it was open.

Great news! In November 2009 CCDC and San Diego City Council voted to provide over $1,000,000 toward the restoration of the Villa's foundation, so that the museum can reopen. It will be more than a year before all the work is done, but thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Villa Montezuma, Inc., it WILL be done. For anyone interested in the Sherman Heights Historic District (the largest historic district in the City of San Diego, with almost 400 historic buildings), I encourage you to take the walking tour of Jesse Shepard's neighborhood. Tours are on the first and third Sundays of most months, at 1:00 p.m., and take about two hours. The tour is complimentary to members of the Friends, or a $10 donation is suggested for nonmembers. Learn more about the Villa, restoration efforts, walking tours, and the Friends at www.villamontezuma.org.
— December 16, 2009 8:06 a.m.

We Could End Up Looking Like Phoenix

Great article, but one correction: my husband and I put in $80,000 into restoring the Crellin Cottage, not $8,000. This $80,000 better illustrates how a small Mills Act incentive produces an important, positive ripple effect of reinvestment in older neighborhoods. We hired local trades people and craftsmen. The local economy benefited. This reinvestment ripple to the City of San Diego has not been studied, but I guarantee you that the benefit to the City is vastly larger than the cost of the incentive. As a Mills Act advocate who has spoken to historic homeowners around the state about the benefits of the Mills Act, I know that San Diego is viewed as a model of SUCCESS regarding use of the Mills Act to preserve and restore historic buildings, and thus restore older communities. How wrong for the City to view this success as a problem. If you are concerned, please join us on April 18 at 2:00 at 202 C Street for the mayor's "workshop" on the Mills Act. This is a "penny wise but pound foolish" attack on an incentive program that works well, at minimal cost to the City.
— April 16, 2008 4:56 p.m.