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COMMUNITY VOICES


Redevelopers should incorporate, not destroy, historic buildings


History is a symphony of echoes


heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses. —Charles Angoff


waves a few weeks ago when he proposed ending redevelopment agencies in the state’s—a move intended to mitigate California’s massive budget crisis. Redevelop- ment allows local governments to keep a total of $5 billion annu- ally in property taxes that would otherwise go to schools and other public agencies. Instead, it flows to private developers to help “fix blighted areas.” But the prob- lem with allocating such a large amount to private developers is that no one has ever defined what “blight” means or what constitutes fixing it. In an effort to maximize profit, many of these private


N developers have been taking


ewly elected Gov. Jerry Brown made some big


advantage of the system under the guise of affordable housing. In the process, they destroy valu- able and irreplaceable historic architecture—architecture which gives many of our neighborhoods character and a sense of identity. The latest local project on the table for these coveted developer tax dollars is “The Boulevard” at El Cajon Boulevard and Florida Street in North Park, located in the El Cajon Boulevard Busi- ness Improvement District. The project was originally approved in March of 2005 by the city plan- ning commission and included the construction of a massive, seven-story, mixed-use structure on about 1.5 acres in a neighbor- hood of historic single-family Craftsman-style homes. The


project was dropped a while back due to lack of funding, but has recently been pick up by a new developer.


Interestingly, the original report the


developers gave the city, which outlines the scope and intent of the project, failed to mention any historic resources on the block. And despite this “new” information being brought to the attention of the city and District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria, our elected officials have failed to require a new study for the block. They also have failed to apply for a new permit, which is required under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).


The block in question on El


Cajon Boulevard between Florida and Alabama streets contains sev- eral types of historic, architectural resources, including a rare saltbox building constructed in 1926 (the only other saltbox we know of in San Diego is the William Heath House, Gaslamp’s oldest surviv- ing structure). The saltbox style features a long, pitched roof that slopes down with characteristic asymmetry. This asymmetry is how the style acquired its


name, since it resembles a wooden-


lidded box that held salt. The site contains a clay tile building that was the original 7-Up Bottling Plant here in San Diego built by the Deem brothers in 1932. The block also contains two Crafts- man homes from the early 1930s, which reveal a charming portrait of the neighborhood’s unique and architecturally diverse history. It’s unfortunate that develop- ers and politicians so often think that the best solution to building affordable housing is to destroy what already exists—especially when what exists has historic and architectural significance. The existing structures on that block definitely need improvement, but they could be restored and incorporated into the design as street-level, commercial-use com- ponents with affordable housing built above them. Little Italy is a great example of this, with many of its bungalows now serving as charming boutiques and retail shops. Simply mowing down an entire block of historic resources to make way for another mono- lithic feat of stucco and vinyl siding is just laziness on the part of the developer, and shows a very telling lack of vision from our council- member.


Donovan


Temporary wall murals hide the former 7-up bot- tling factory built in 1947 slated for demolition.


(Jimmy Sullivan/ GSD)


that we’re becoming increasingly invisible. I field a lot of e-mails from gay men (and a few women) in midlife stating some version of: “I am physically aging much faster than I’d hoped (wrinkles, love handles, receding hairline, expanding belly). Who’s going to want me now?” Popular culture calls this a “midlife crisis,” but does it have to be a crisis? Midlife crises shake up our lives for better and worse, but— surprisingly—the biggest mistake is not having one at all. A midlife crisis can be a period of intense growth, filled with dramatic life changes that are both exciting and terrifying. The “crisis” usu- ally occurs between our late 30s and early 50s. How do you know you’re having a midlife crisis? It’s not only about how your looks change; more importantly, it’s about realizing that your values have changed. You realize that the values that have guided you for so many years no longer work. Something’s gotta give! Most midlife crises are trig-


gered by introspection, events such as a death or a relation- ship ending, unhappiness with physical aging and/or money or career concerns. For many of us, physical aging hits us hard about this time. Unlike celebrities and movie stars, most normal people visibly age. More importantly, we psychologically age. This is also


Stop hating yourself: The joys of getting older I


t seems like an epidemic: We’re all getting older and feeling


known as becoming “wiser,” and it’s a good thing. Wisdom, how- ever, has a way of pulling the rug out from under our youthful illu-


gray hair, receding hairlines, love handles and wrinkled skin. Happy, secure LGBTers won’t buy overpriced anti-aging prod-


“Midlife crises shake up our lives for better and worse, but—surprisingly—the biggest mistake is not hav- ing one at all.”


sions. (“I’m going to be famous.” “Once I find my soul mate, everything will be perfect.”) Few of us manage to realize all the dreams of our 20s and 30s, and when we do, the money, success or partner rarely measures up to our idealistic standards. As enlightened LGBTers, most of us have looked at our own racism and homophobia, but let’s look at a more subtle form of discrimination and self-hatred: ageism. Straight and gay media lovingly promote their adver- tisers high-priced, anti-aging products. We are brainwashed to think we are barely acceptable unless we hide or eliminate our


ucts; but scared and desperate people will—and do.


How can we escape the self-


hatred of ageism? First, be willing to identify old parts of yourself that you’ve suppressed. Those needs and desires can be very important for us as we pour the foundation for the second half of our life. Ask yourself: What do I really care about? What do I want to spend my energy on? We are a generation of LGBT people who are (in general) better educated, healthier and more affluent than our forefathers/mothers. We may live for another 40 or 50 years. But, as one of my 40-something clients recently asked me, “What


JIMMY SULLIVAN


SENSE OF PLACE


Rypkema, a principal at the real estate and economic develop- ment consulting firm, PlaceEco- nomics, specializes in historic preservation. According to Rypkema, “De-


stroying historic buildings results in a triple hit on scarce resources. First, we are throwing away thousands of dollars of embodied energy. Second, we are replac- ing it with materials vastly more consumptive of energy. What are most historic houses built from? Brick, plaster, concrete and timber. What are among the least energy consumptive of materi- als? Brick, plaster, concrete and timber. … “Third,” Rypkema added, “em-


bodied energy savings increase dramatically as a building’s life stretches over 50 years. You’re a fool or a fraud if you say you are an environmentally conscious builder and yet are throwing away


see Place, pg 10


Jan. 28-Feb. 10, 2011


GAY SAN DIEGO


9


am I going to do with all that time?” I experienced my own midlife crisis when I was 41. A long-term relationship ended and I found myself unhappy in my job and newly single. As a result of this “crisis,” I found a good therapist, quit my job, dated a lot and went back to college. It was quite an upheaval (I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco with no job, no man and few friends), but I doubt I would have changed my life so dramatically if hadn’t been “forced” to.


Some of us in midlife go


through a period of reckless be- havior. If we’re in a monogamous relationship, we may have affairs or even end a long-term relation- ship. We may find ourselves drinking more, taking more recreational drugs, shopping or spending money we really don’t have and/or charging expensive vacations that will take us years to pay off. All these behaviors are ways of acting out and avoid- ing reality. They’re detours off the path. We can take them, but sooner or later we have to face the music: We’re getting older and our lives have to change. How are we going to handle this? Instead of acting out like some over-aged teenager—kick- ing and screaming into your 40s and 50s—I suggest you use this time to make your life even bet- ter. Take more healthy risks: Try things that make you uncomfort-


LIFE BEYOND THERAPY


able, like learning a new sport, going to social gatherings and starting conversations (rather than waiting for people to come to you), volunteering or even going back to school to switch careers. At times like these, lean on


your friends and family. These folks can be your rock. As you begin to change your life, you need them more than ever. Ask them for support. Call them when you get scared, and hang with them when you need some comfort. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t wallow in self-pity. When you ask “Who’s going to want me now?” the answer needs to be: “I do.” If you don’t


see Therapy, pg 10


MICHAEL KIMMEL


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