Permit application filed to develop former 76 gas station in La Jolla with mixed-use building

As the former 76 gas station at 801 Pearl St. in La Jolla sits partially demolished and overgrown with weeds, could a change be in sight?

In July, a building permit application associated with a discretionary coastal development permit was filed with the city of San Diego to develop the property “and is currently under review,” according to city spokesman Scott Robinson. A proposed construction timeline was not immediately available.

A building permit application has been filed to redevelop the former 76 gas station at 801 Pearl St.

(Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

The permit application indicates the property would be developed into a mixed-use building including two retail spaces and 26 residential units, plus parking and landscaping. Robinson said it’s the same project given community review in 2019.

Former owner David Bourne planned to build a 20,595-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building consisting of 26 residential units and two retail spaces on the former 76 service station site at 801 Pearl St. in La Jolla, as depicted in this rendering.

(File)

At the time, the La Jolla Community Planning Association voted to approve plans submitted by developer David Bourne to demolish the service station and build a 20,595-square-foot mixed-use structure. The two-story project was described as 26 residential units (including two considered affordable housing), two retail spaces on the ground floor and a lot with 23 parking spaces. Bourne died last year, and the property has been in a partially demolished state since.

Jerzy Secousse, president of the new owner, Newport Beach-based C3 Development, confirmed that the project is the same one Bourne proposed, “with a few design updates to the interior to make the smaller units more functional.” The residential units will average 600 square feet, he said.

He said he could not provide an exact schedule for construction, though he said the demolition permit could be secured and the existing facility leveled “in the next 60 days” to get ahead of the rainy season. He hopes to acquire the construction permit by January.

“We know the building is an eyesore, so even though we won’t have our construction permit until January, we want it demoed,” Secousse said.

C3, which acquired the site from Bourne’s estate, owns other properties around California, including more in La Jolla. “Our focus is on mixed-use infill projects, so [801 Pearl St.] fits our profile,” Secousse said. ◆