Historical Society makes one last stand for Windemere Cottage La Jolla Historical Society executive director John Bolthouse provided a status report on the Windemere Cottage, located at 1328 Virginia Way, which was not designated as a historical property during the city’s Historical Resources Board (HRB) meeting on Sept. 22. The vote was 5-2 in favor of designation, however the HRB rules mandate that six favorable votes be required to grant historic designation of a property. “It’s a very interesting way the bureaucracy works at the HRB,” said Bolthouse. “When they vote, they need a majority of the entire board, not just a quorum of those in attendance, so therefore, because they have 11 members, you have to have six people vote for any initiative. There were five that voted for it, so essentially they did not vote to take an action.” If the HRB had voted to designate the property as historic, the owners would only be able to renovate the property based on a different set of criteria, which excludes demolition or making significant character changes to the property. “We’d like to think there are benefits and incentives out there to having a historic property, but frankly, not everybody agrees with that,” Bolthouse said. “They have different visions for their private properties, and we respect that, but the consequences are that we enable our community’s architectural character to change over time. Bolthouse said if the owners were determined to demolish the property, the “next best option” would be to enlist the aid of a third party to relocate the cottage entirely. “Where we stand on the property right now is that we don’t have much stand in it. It’s privately owned and because La Jolla is not incorporated separately from the city, we fall under the auspices of the city,” Bolthouse said. “There is no clear appellate process in place at the city when an agency, specifically the HRB, chooses not to take an action but we are looking behind the scenes, and [Save Our Heritage Organisation] has the legal power and assets to take more proactive actions.” Following Bolthouse’s plea to the town council, the trustees voted to have the president write a letter to the HRB on behalf of the town council to urge them to reconsider the Sept. 22 discussion and vote on the historical designation of the Windemere Cottage property. Trustee Ann Kerr Bache, who made the motion, urged Bolthouse and other supporters of designation to work with the owners of the property in case reconsideration of its historical designation is denied by the HRB. Other news • A summary of results from the Beautification of Coast Boulevard Walkway at Children’s Pool Park, Casa Beach public workshop is posted at the La Jolla Recreation Center and at the La Jolla Library, announced Phyllis Minick, chairwoman of the La Jolla Parks and Beaches Beautification Committee. Participants’ ideas included improvements for parking, pedestrian flow, trees, seating, vendor tables and art. To add suggestions or comments, contact [email protected]. • Trustee Peter Wulff announced the Bylaws Committee is halfway through the process of making LJTC bylaws more transparent. He said the goal of the committee is to have a proposal to the Executive Committee by Thanksgiving and to get LJTC approval by Christmas. • Erin Demorest, representative for District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, announced the city won a round of competitive bidding against private firms for fleet maintenance services that will save the city $4.4 million per year over the next five years. The savings will go into the general fund for police, fire and street repairs. • Resurfacing street repair projects on Nobel Drive and La Jolla Village Drive will take place until the end of October and construction on a sewer main replacement project on La Jolla Boulevard in Bird Rock will take place until May 2012, Demorest announced. • The La Jolla Shores Association invites members of the public to attend its next meeting on Nov. 9 to discuss problems with UCSD students parking in residential neighborhoods. • Chinese will be added to San Diego County voting materials in the upcoming elections, said John Weil, representative for Supervisor Pam Slater Price. • The public review period for the Clinical and Translational Research Institute and East Campus Recreation Area project has been extended through Nov. 2, said UCSD Physical and Community Planning representative Anu Delouri. • The La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) voted to approve a five-year holiday décor plan, which includes rooftop lights on Girard Avenue from Torrey Pines Road to Prospect Street. The LJVMA is also at the tail end of a branding campaign and in the midst of building a new, robust website which will launch in January 2012, said Rosemary Murrieta, LJVMA’s executive director. • The Traffic and Transportation (T&T) board asked that modifications to on-street parking zones within the La Jolla footprint be first presented to the T&T, then to the La Jolla Community Planning Association, said T&T representative Rob Hildt. • The LJTC voted to sponsor candidate forums for San Diego mayoral and city council candidates in lieu of guest speakers during regularly scheduled LJTC meetings following the primary election. • Bache urged trustees and members of the public to donate to much-needed funds for La Jolla’s 54th annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival, which will take place on Dec. 4. To see sponsorship opportunities and benefits, visit www.ljparade.com. • The LJTC voted unanimously to support the La Jolla Brew House’s request to the city to permit live entertainment in their establishment.