From winterety at sbcglobal.net Mon Sep 15 13:24:53 2008 From: winterety at sbcglobal.net (sheryl lynn gerety) Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:24:53 -0700 Subject: [OldNorthBoard] Letter to Danielle Foster Message-ID: I believe I circulated this letter two weeks ago but have had no response to date. I'm content to take it up at the board meeting if people want more time to think about its content. Sheryl and Kathleen DRAFT ONLY: Please Comment Danielle Foster City of Davis Dear Danielle: Thank you for meeting with Dennis Dingemans, currently president of the Board of Old North Davis Neighborhood Association, regarding the status of the now empty lot at 507 F Street. We are disappointed that James Moresco, the current owner, will not finish the project he began three years ago. The Board recognizes he has shown good faith in packaging the property with his architect's plan for redevelopment of the lot. However the fact remains he tore down a house that could have remained as a rental until his plans were more certain. Whether he succeeds in finishing the permitting process and is able to sell the lot with the understanding that the house plans we and the HRMC approved is a matter for speculation at this point. As Dennis mentioned to you in your meeting, Old North Davis Neighborhood Association proposes that the City of Davis buy the lot as a possible location for the bungalows on B Street which become subject to removal or demolition under revised zoning which allows for demolition and redevelopment. The latest home owner in Old North to move a house onto a vacant lot got the house free, spent only around $10,000 in restoration including adding a basement to the house, and has made a substantial return on his investment given the desirable location, size and appearance of his residence. Our neighborhood would be delighted to receive a refugee structure of this kind as a graceful addition to our neighborhood and at a lower cost to a potential buyer than building a new home. We hope that you will explore various federal grants such as Preserve America at http://www.PreserveAmerica.gov and grants from the state of California such as the California Cultural and Historical Endowment at http://www.library.ca.gov/grants/cche/ . It does appear that the City of Davis could apply for funds to purchase the lot at 507 F and to move the next heritage home standing in the way of its owner's plans for redevelopment. Very truly yours, ONDNA Board members signatory cc: James Moresco City Council -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/ondboard/attachments/20080915/a7aa8c1b/attachment.html