27 Responses to “Homes in Lot Merger Controversy Demolished; Some Neighbors Angry”
Comments
June 13th, 2012
I'm happy to hear that some of the rose bushes were salvaged. I walked by this afternoon and when I rounded the corner I was shocked to see the pile of rubble. 2808 was my favorite home in all of CDM. I asked one of the crew if the plumeria tree had been saved and he said that instructions were to "knock it all down" :(
June 13th, 2012
In the past I have supported building a new house on the property. But this was pretty underhanded and unneighborly. The city needs a law requiring homeowners to notify nearby neighbors of extremely loud construction and of its duration at least a week in advance. I am very disappointed in the Guidos for this action. It didn't have to be done like this. There is enough trauma to these old folks without making them heartsick. Shame on you.
June 13th, 2012
2808 Ocean was a lovely home, with great scale and calm, both inside and out. Sorry to see it go, before an approved plan to rebuild was ready, and while discussions were apparently in progress.
June 14th, 2012
Make no mistake, Government Solutions can wrap this up in a tidy explanation of demolishing the homes out of concern for lack of insurance and the disrepair of the structures. But who let them fall into disrepair? John and Julie Guida, the Good Neighbors from Chicago. And who let the insurance lapse? John and Julie Guida. When confronted with the possibility that one of their homes might have historical significance they rushed to remove the evidence. Unbeknownst to practically everyone, no one was aware that a demolition permit had been issued, including City Attorney Aaron C. Harp. The Guida's have been sitting on the permit for almost a year and curiouser and curiouser they decide to use it just 5 days after a private meeting amongst the parties to try to work out some compromises. Additionally at the private meeting last week when all parties decided that some form of correct elevation markers should be staked onto the properties, Coralee Newman complained that it was too time consuming and expensive to hire a real surveyor to do it. Really? Already John and Julie Guida have spent well over 7 million dollars on the properties plus paying for almost 9 months to keep a lawyer, lobbyist on retainer. How about the additional cost of building plans? Plus buying a property for 2.2 million in a gated community near Fashion Island to live in while they try to pay their way into Lookout Point. They have money to burn. The families have been asking him to mark out his properties since September of 2011. What was their solution? To duct tape white 1" PVC pipes to the roof of 2808 to represent the various heights and no courtesy of a phone call to the families telling them what height each pipe represented. John Silva (one of the affected neighbors) could only see the pipes with a telescope from his home. Forget the 85 year old Joan and Robin Campbell who couldn't see them at all. The families were pressured by Coralee Newman and the Guida's to make a rush decision on the height of these pipes. 3 days after they were erected the home on which they were affixed, was torn down. Up until now the public has been unaware of the true nature of the Guida's due to their highly paid lobbyist Coralee Newman. With this new deplorable and surreptitious act everyone can surmise that the Guida's are manipulative, disingenuous, and willful bullies. If the City Council allows them to get away with this blatant thumbing of their noses at the Council's directive to keep the properties maintained during these proceedings, then they are making themselves complicit in these disgraceful affairs.
June 14th, 2012
Mr. Guida is a bully & contemptuous............................................................................... All who represent him are contemptuous........................................................................ Beware and vigilant, If he comes to your community don't blink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 14th, 2012
Jamie...I have followed your frequent comments on this site and was often displeased by some of your remarks. You believe in growth which is okay, but I see that you also have a deeply compassionate heart. Your response was lovely and heartfelt. The families are truly suffering and I know that if I manage to live to 85 with good health I cannot imagine the stress of having to deal with such chaos during my last days on earth. The children of these families are also bearing the stress of the onslaught of all the devious machinations by this wealthy family. Other people have been hard on you in the past and they should re-think those snarky remarks. Well done.
June 14th, 2012
It sounds like people in this town are having problems with wealthy out of towners buying property and trying to improve it. We don't like change. I understand that but they own the property and can tear it down if they so choose................I've had this same problem trying to build in another state.............the locals protested me all the way......Let's try to be open minded and accept change.
June 14th, 2012
Like Godzilla unleashed. Mr. Guida has come to our city wreaking havoc. He blots out views, tramples over seniors, demolishes buildings. Perhaps a name change is in order. BEWARE OF GUIDZILLA!!!!!
June 14th, 2012
A response to MAC...this entire case involves a legal, I repeat a legal issue which is a 1951 covenant which dictates a view shed. The properties involved are 5 lots in a subdivision which the creators of this covenant created to protect the views of the 2 homes in the back of the subdivision. In return for the protection of the views the 2 properties allow the 3 front lots an easement access for ingress/egress. Since 1951 all owners of these 2 lots (2808 and 2812) have adhered to this covenant. The owner who sold the homes to Mr. Guida tried to build a modern home on these lots but ultimately gave up when his architect told him that because of the covenant he could not build the house he wanted. So he threw out the architectural plans and lived for several years in the homes as they stood. This was an honest man. Mr. Guida obtained these properties through low-balling this seller because of the deed restriction. Of course he did not reveal his plans to erect a massive 29’ home with a 3 story elevator and a 6,000 sq.ft. basement. Had the seller a clue about the plans of Mr. Guida the price of the home would have gone up another 1-1/2 million. Thus beginning the trail of lies and deception of John and Julie Guida. No one is opposed to change, that is what life is about. What they are opposed to is people who think they can buy their way through everything, including the law.
June 14th, 2012
I cannot believe that the city of Newport Beach sits and lets something like this happen. They are supposed to be representatives of the people and that means making hard decisions that come to them. Just because John and Julie Guida can hire a lawyer and a very low level lobbyist, who has some pull at only a city level behind closed doors, does not mean that the city should be stalling on making their decision. The convenient has been in place for 61 year which sets a president for it to be enforced by the City Council and its committees. That would be like taking our Constitution and throwing it out the window for something that has no bearing to the people. And for the Guida's to not abide by a covenant that they knew was there because it would have to be disclosed in the sale of the house is just unfathomable. They knew that it was there and decided that money can get you anything, even if that means buying your way through a political system that is there to serve the peoples interest as a majority and not as an individual. Then you have the owners of the other properties who have obeyed the 61 year covenant like what was agreed upon. The thing that makes it even sadder is that the Guida's do not care about the health problems they are causing their neighbors. It has taken their neighbors 61 years to build what they have and for someone to come in and try to change a living document is just wrong. I just cannot believe someone can be so cruel to their neighbors and fight something that should have never been an issue in the first place with a 61 year old document stating what someone can and cannot do. The Guida's should just go back to Chicago when they can play the game of crooked politics and the City Council should do the job they swore an oath to due. As a lifelong and proud citizen of Newport Beach (I am now 26) I am very disappointed in our local government for having this get this far and for letting it probably go further since they cannot do what they are required to do.
June 14th, 2012
I thought the whole uproar the city was dealing with was about a lot merger. If its now all about a covenant between property owners then lay off the city. These two old folks need to take their grievances to court for violation of a written agreement between property owners. Don't waste my tax dollars bothering the city about a private agreement. The city can't do anything to enforce private matters. Sure, people can say that these old people don't have the funds to fight this and the city should stand up for them. But the city's hands are not in this. Why do you think the city has been suggesting these party's work it out on their own? Locals on the side of the old folks should start a fundraising effort to fight back. I've seen more local rallying for those stupid Goldenrod chickens. Leave the city and my tax dollars out of it. Resolve your private issue privately!
June 15th, 2012
"If they have no honor then they have no shame. Take notice of all they do cause If they do it to me, who's to say they won't do it to you."
June 15th, 2012
If you have been following the case you will realize that your tax dollars are not being wasted. The covenant is only one component of the dispute. When the Planning Commission voted 6-1 to oppose the merger because (“The lots as merged will be consistent with the surrounding pattern of development and will not create an excessively large lot that is not compatible with the surrounding development”) they were only enforcing the Lot Merger Ordinance put in place to protect all the citizens of Corona Del Mar. These lots if merged would total 13,699 sq.ft.which is more than 3 times larger than the predominant lot size in CDM. In fact, over 99% of the lots are smaller. This is excessive and an “anomaly.” If you are concerned about your tax dollars, go take a stroll by the now vacant lot and see for yourself the massive size of the lot as compared to those in the vicinity. Massive houses exist, but they are on much smaller lots. The Lot Merger Ordinance is there to protect the residents of our city from facing the very real threat of lots of this size becoming predominant. The wasted tax dollars you complain about, are because of the ability of monied people trying to force the issue and push the limit of excess. Our City Council needs to have the courage to enforce the laws, put in place to protect us all, equally. If you want your tax dollars to actually have an effect on protecting the citizenry, than it would be great to let the City Council know before the next hearing on June 26th. Let your voice be heard, this is our city. The email for all of them is: CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov
June 15th, 2012
By bulldozing his 2 properties, John Guida is exhorting the City Council by implying “If you don’t grant me my lot merger, these 2 key spots on Ocean Blvd. will remain empty, an eyesore for the city, and no one will purchase them, and they could remain as is for years.” Which, by the way, will happen if this goes to court. What he has revealed in his lame chess game is what we have been objecting to, which is the Lot Merger. Without the properties on the land, it truly reveals how large a land mass this area is. 3 times that of the average size lot in old Corona Del Mar. If the City Council plans on approving this merger it will foretell the future landscape of Corona Del Mar. The quaint nature of the town will most definitely become “Dubai” by the ocean. So much for diversity.
June 15th, 2012
If you want to make back some of your tax dollars you complain about wasting on these hearings, I’ve got just the plan for you. Some retail establishment (maybe a surf shop), a boutique restaurant, or a Walmart with parking spaces for 30 will fit just nicely in the 13,699 square foot area that Mr. Guida opened. Think of the business revenues, employment, tourist attraction the area will garner. Mr. Guida just shot himself in the foot by demolishing those homes.
June 15th, 2012
Coralee Newman described the properties as falling into disrepair. I’ve walked around the properties formerly known as 2808 and 2812 and Ms. Newman’s impression of dilapidation is overblown and false. The abandoned projects in Baltimore or Detroit could be labeled as in disrepair but those homes? The roofs weren’t caving in, the porches were sturdy, the windows weren’t broken, and there wasn’t any graffiti sprayed onto them. All they needed was a little TLC. The abandonment of the homes was brought to you by John Guida who willfully decided to stop their upkeep even though he was instructed by the Council to maintain said properties until these proceedings had finished. Yet, once again, he displays his disrespect for the Council and our city.
June 15th, 2012
I wonder if the Guida's are questioning the advice they're getting, or did they make this destructive decision themselves? Either way, tearing these homes down only calls attention to their lack of sensitivity to the neighbors and their lack of respect for the process. If the decision were to rest on community sentiment, they just shot themselves in the foot.
June 15th, 2012
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
June 15th, 2012
"GREEDA GARDENS".......What about the eye sore that will the lots for the next couple of years...Greeda has created a slum in beautiful downtown Newport Beach
June 15th, 2012
Mr. Guida gives ground grudgingly, only when forced to do so, and literally, inch by insufficient inch! The City Council now should him for what he really is. Represent the citizens that love CDM and put a stop to this megalomaniac.Demolition of the houses now plainly shows the enormous size of these lots.
June 15th, 2012
Marketing Werks is providing the funding for this mass attack by John and Julie Guida on the city of Corona Del Mar. The company is dubbed an “experiential advertising company” geared to the Generation Y crowd. They are very successful and have many well-known clients. If you go to a business ratings site called Glass Door and type in the above company ( employee ratings) some insights into this affair will become crystal clear. That’s how they do.
June 15th, 2012
The curtain has been pulled back and this property owner has been unmasked. SEEING IS BELIEVING.
June 15th, 2012
I think the Bible says it best. "Do unto others as you would have then do unto you."
June 15th, 2012
The word “NO” does not exist in the world of these property owners. They never met a ruling, instruction, directive, contract, or recommendation that they felt they had to obey. Rulings to them mean just opening their wallets just a little wider.
June 15th, 2012
Mr. Guida should have taken care of all his battles before bringing this Lot Merger forward. Demolition of the houses is the ultimate premature action and should never have been allowed to occur until the council made their final determination. This demolition is either the act of a very desperate man or a very rich bully. Those of us who have followed this merger closely, believe it is both.
June 16th, 2012
IDON'T live in Corona del Mar. I can't afford it. But if i HAD the money the buy mt cream house, what I'd ask the real estate agent to be on the llokout for would be ahouse witha view of THE WEDGE. AND i'D BE WILLING TO PAY ANYTHING TO HAVE IT. You people in Corona are lucky folk. I can't understand thatt Mr. Guida and his representives are insulting the intelligence of the citizens of Corona del Mar, the members of the City Councul and the Planning Commission, and the press with a FAKE INNOCENT ATTITIDE hat pretends to NOT UNDERSTAND why people who had CHOSEN to buy homes WITH A VIEW many years ago couldbe even a little upset about losing just that. If he's spent all that mone y, hired big-time strategists and fought (not so correctly) tooth and nail to have exactly whaat he is illegally trying to take away from his neighbors. I think that achieving your own dream by any means including destroying other people's dreams ISN'T VERY NICE. But don't prentend you don't understand what you're try to put over on others -- we're not so stupid.
June 16th, 2012
I agree, from what I have witnessed Mr. Guida has acted like a thief in the night from the beginning. From my understanding, he disregarded a CC&R, preserving views, and tried to steal these old peoples view. From the pictures available online I can see why these families are not giving in. The most telling picture shows the families currently have a view of "the wedge, the beach, the jetty, and the harbor canal." Mr. Guida's proposed home wipes all of that out and leaves only a view of the horizon. This is a very bad, selfish and dishonest man. I pray that Mayor Gardner and the rest of the councilmembers, I voted for, see this for what it is. The size of the mammoth jumbo empty lot that is left surely seems out of place with all of the surrounding house lots. I thought the merger law was to prevent that. As is the case far too often, there is a different set of rules for people with money. My vote as a good citizen of CDM is to deny this merger. The lot, and the man himself are not compatible and they are detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of this neighborhood. Please listen to public opinion and follow the law and "VOTE NO TO THIS MERGER."
