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Fair Warning

Demolition of the buildings at 4868 Santa Cruz Avenue began November 1. Residents who had lived there for years were given notice at the end of June that work would begin the day after Halloween. They knew this day would come, but hoped it would be delayed as long as possible.

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Upon move-in, prospective tenants were told that at some point the structures would be coming down. Some residents were informed of the plans as long as five years ago. Signs warning of the impending demolition had been posted on the fence for years and on the buildings themselves.

After at least six years of waiting for the money and the permits to go through with the project, it took only minutes to tear down a home. Neighbor Shawn McGinnis said that in the time it took him to smoke a cigarette, the house across from his was completely leveled. A single person with a dozer tore through wood, drywall, and concrete, and then loaded the chunks into a dump truck to be hauled away.

Lost are the rounded ceilings of these single-story homes. Lost is the mural that used to adorn the back house. Lost is the milk door in the kitchen of the front house where decades ago the milkman would make his deliveries. All that is left is a plot of dirt that needs to be dug up and repacked to make way for the construction of new apartments.

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Demolition of the buildings at 4868 Santa Cruz Avenue began November 1. Residents who had lived there for years were given notice at the end of June that work would begin the day after Halloween. They knew this day would come, but hoped it would be delayed as long as possible.

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Upon move-in, prospective tenants were told that at some point the structures would be coming down. Some residents were informed of the plans as long as five years ago. Signs warning of the impending demolition had been posted on the fence for years and on the buildings themselves.

After at least six years of waiting for the money and the permits to go through with the project, it took only minutes to tear down a home. Neighbor Shawn McGinnis said that in the time it took him to smoke a cigarette, the house across from his was completely leveled. A single person with a dozer tore through wood, drywall, and concrete, and then loaded the chunks into a dump truck to be hauled away.

Lost are the rounded ceilings of these single-story homes. Lost is the mural that used to adorn the back house. Lost is the milk door in the kitchen of the front house where decades ago the milkman would make his deliveries. All that is left is a plot of dirt that needs to be dug up and repacked to make way for the construction of new apartments.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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