Coronado Common Sense

Hall of Shame: Abandoned Cora Mart Building

This is the building at 844 Orange Avenue that once housed Cora Mart. It needs a good washing and a coat of paint at the very least. Maybe in a fast driveby, it might not be noticed.

I remember the old Cora Mart when it was still open and doing business. It was amazing what you could find there . . . you could find EVERYTHING there . . . even treasures that the rest of the world had not seen in decades. It was right out of Mayberry and was like a blast to the past.

I remember when the owners told us that they were leaving. Not of their own accord, mind you, but to be replaced by something or someone else. They were very sad. They didn't want to leave. And no one wanted to see Cora Mart close. It was like the end of an era.

I'm not sure how many years ago that was. I'm thinking it was 1996 or 97 or possibly 98? It's been so long ago that I can't remember. I know that they have been gone for at least a full ten years, if not longer.

Not much "curb appeal" for tourists and locals walking down Orange Avenue. The glass is filthy and the paper on the windows is old and yellow. The louvers are open and the clasp broken, the screens are rusty and coated with that lovely jet soot that collects in your windowsills if neglected. And something tells me that this hastily tacked up sign that flaps in the breeze may be in violation of some type of signage rule.

For a short while, there was a pathetic attempt to run an activity center for kids out of the old building. But no money was spent to upgrade the facility and who wants to go hang out in a decrepit old building. And the people that were hired were pretty creepy and scared even me half to death. Needless to say, this venture was not a success.

So the building has sat, year after year, neglected and getting more and more rundown. It's the big pink elephant sitting right in the middle of town where you can't really ignore it but nothing has ever been done about it. 

This sign probably reveals more about the building than a thousand words could ever capture. It's UNSAFE and probably is going to cost a lot more money making it safe than from just starting over from scratch.

Four years ago, it appeared on the June 7, 2005 City Council Meeting Agenda. To put the timeframe into perspective, the City Council Meetings were still being held in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Coronado Police Department. Item 8b was a Public Hearing discussing the "Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 70.12 of Title 70 and Chapter 86.56 of Title 86 of the Municipal Code Addressing Vacant Premises."

Toni Gaylord, then-Coronado MainStreet Director,

"announced that the MainStreet Board unanimously asked her to bring to the City’s attention that the old CoraMart and the movie theater have fallen well below the standards dictated in the vacant premises ordinance and certainly need to be brought into compliance.  The buildings and property are dirty; the movie theater marquis is peeling, etc.  MainStreet is formally asking for code enforcement review.  They appreciate the stronger ordinance."

Tony Peña, then-Director of Community Development,

"highlighted the changes and said it applies to all vacant buildings on all lots in the City, which makes it quite widespread in terms of total impact.  He said the new language clarifies definitions such as what a blighted condition is."

Former Mayor Smisek

"referred to the new section that states, 'If the Owner of a Vacant Premises has been recipient of three (3) Notice of Violation actions for violations of the Coronado Municipal Code, during any one period of vacancy, the Owner must submit plans to abate the violation(s) to the Design Review Commission for approval as provided in the City of Coronado Municipal Code Chapter 70.12.' ” 

Here's the rear view of the building: peeling paint, broken window panes, dirty walls, and a lopsided "for lease" sign

And just when it seems it can't get any worse, the next-door Vons is now using it for a storage area during their remodel period

Somehow, it seems to be, that this blighted building should have easily received at least three Notices of Violations by now. Call me a dreamer but I can imagine a far better building occupying that space. Many years ago, I stood before the City Council and made a suggestion. It was simply this:

After a building sits abandoned for a year, start charging a hefty non-vacancy fine. Double it the second year. Double that fine the third year and so on.

This would serve to get the attention of these owners that apparently have the upperhand over our Coronado leaders. Can you imagine how much money the city would have made on a non-vancancy fine on Cora Mart by now? I dare say I think that improvements would have been made and this building might actually have been an asset to the ambiance of Coronado.

Hall of Shame: Entrance to Coronado

The first "Hall of Shame" recipient is the Coronado Island sign . . . the first thing you see as you enter our community. Not the actual sign, which is very nice, but the lack of care shown to the surrounding landscape.

In this first photo, you will see several dead fronds hanging off the palm trees. And a general "burned out" look to the vegetation.

In this second photo, you can see all the dead bushes. Maybe they were live flowers at one time.

As a new visitor to Coronado, this does not have "front yard appeal." As residents, we should all feel a bit ashamed of the entrance to Coronado. Whoever is in charge of maintaining this area could pull out all the dead vegetation at the very least.

Ideally, some beautiful flowers would be great. If there's not a watering system, some hearty succulents like flowering ice plant would do the trick. Anything, even the area cleared, would look better than this.