Let the wrecking ball swing

Danette Goulet

Three years of persistent grumbling has paid off for the neighbors of

a dilapidated old house on the corner of Bolsa Chica Street and Warner

Avenue.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved demolishing the house

at 16911 Bolsa Chica St. under the city’s “nuisance abatement” law.

For three years church leaders and parishioners at St. Peter’s By the

Sea Presbyterian Church have complained about the house, calling it an

eyesore. The Spano property, which includes a house, pool and tennis

courts, sits on a property surrounded by church grounds.

The house has not been occupied, except by transients, or tended in

years, church leaders said.

It has long been the desire of church leaders to see the house

demolished so that they might buy the property and build a new sanctuary

and multipurpose room.

“That’s frankly secondary because the church has put up with the side

effects of the Spano property for a long time and is frustrated as to how

long it has taken to get it cleaned up,” said Kay Gustafson, attorney for

Saint Peter’s By-The-Sea Church.

The Spano property is now in escrow, with the church buying one-half

of the land. The house must be demolished before escrow can close.

Linda Francis Spano owned 75% of the property and her son Joe owned

25%. But the county took over Linda Spano’s portion when she checked into

a county mental health facility, leaving the county and Joe Spano as

co-owners.

The county turned over the parcel of land that includes the house and

the pool to the city. The city in turn condemned the house and plans to

tear it down and fill in the swimming pool, said planning director Howard

Zelefsky.

The church was in escrow to buy the whole property from Joe Spano for

$590,000 before it learned that he did not have sole ownership, Gustafson

said.

Following a legal battle the church will now buy half the

30,709-square-foot property property from Joe Spano for $295,000, leaving

a 100-foot frontage that the county intends to auction off.

The church would gladly buy the entire property, but officials say the

county is asking an unreasonable about.

The entire property has been appraised at $560,000, Gustafson said,

but the county estimated the property’s worth at $1 million.

“They won’t sell it to us at what we think is a reasonable price,” she

said, but added that the church will be among the bidders when the

property goes to auction.