Riding by 1111 Ninth Street, eCoronado.com noticed that the lot was recently scraped. The owner shared this information on the property website:
I am the owner of the property at 1111 9th Street. I bought the property with a goal of doing a project that I hoped would compliment the building I own next door on the corner of 9th and Orange. After many months of analysis, design, planning and permitting, construction will begin shortly on a new building that follows the architectural guidelines of Coronado’s Orange Avenue Corridor Specific Plan.
I understand that some residents are saddened that the two old buildings will be replaced. I thought I might share some of the sequence of events that led to where we are today.
The existing structures are in very poor condition. They have endured numerous haphazard modifications, have functionally obsolete features like 6 foot doorways, contain asbestos, lead, and have profound structural problems.
Although I carefully considered what it would take to restore the property, it just didn’t make sense. The Historic Resource Commission members unanimously agreed that although the buildings were old, they were not “historic” under Coronado’s Historic Preservation Ordinance.
The existing buildings do have an interesting roof design, and I had hoped to replicate that feature in the new building. Several designs studies were developed, but my attempts to “honor” the design of the old buildings didn’t translate well to a larger structure. Coronado’s Design Review Commission (DRC) members thought the design looked more like a ski chalet than an office/retail building, and I think they were right.
Ultimately, I developed a more traditional building design that was approved by the DRC. (Please check it out at http://www.11119thSt.com).
I fell in love with Coronado while stationed at Balboa Naval Hospital as an orthopedic surgeon and I have maintained a home here for many years. I understand the sentiment surrounding the loss of Coronado’s old buildings but hope you may understand that my decision replace the houses was not capricious.
I am pleased with the efforts of my design/development/contracting team and I look forward to welcoming you all to our grand opening early next year.
Bill Quinn, MD
More info: http://11119thst.com/
