THE PROBLEM: The three-alarm fire that destroyed the downtown San Diego Express Tires auto service center in September 2006 kept firefighters busy for hours. But it has meant years of work for code-enforcement officers.
THE SITE: 11th Avenue at Broadway, San Diego.
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The gutted, '50s-era building along 11th Avenue is propped up by supports so the walls won't collapse, and is surrounded by a sturdy chain-link fence.
But Stanley Paul Cook, a real estate agent who works downtown, thinks the corner has become an eyesore. “It should be demolished,” he said. “It's a mess.”
Cook raised the issue with the Centre City Development Corp., a redevelopment agency, but couldn't make headway from there.
STATUS: The city's Neighborhood Code Compliance office thinks the building needs to go, too, said Tony Khalil, a senior engineer.
The property consists of two parcels with separate owners, however, and Goodyear, which subleased the center to Express Tires, also still is involved. The entities are tied up in litigation over issues involving insurance payments for damage from the fire and the responsibility for demolishing the building.
Khalil said he sends an inspector by the site regularly to confirm that it is still secure. But while the city wanted to give the property owners and Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear a chance to resolve their issues without a threat from the city hanging over them, he said, it cannot wait forever.
“This definitely has become a nuisance now,” Khalil said. There's still a chance the three parties to the litigation will resolve their issues before they proceed to trial. If they don't, Khalil said, the city will consider whether to initiate abatement proceedings, demolishing the building and billing someone for the costs.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Tony Khalil, who can be reached attskhalil@sandiego.gov or (619) 236-5526.
NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem that government hasn't taken care of despite your complaints? Whether it's a missing bus bench or a misspelled street sign, Just Fix It might be able to help.
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