Fight over coastal Cayucos property could set precedent
The California Coastal Commission has stopped a Cayucos family from building a motel in the seaside town of 3,000, and the family is fighting back, launching a case that has captured attention across the Golden State. The DeCicco family spent 10 years dreaming up plans for an inn and four townhomes on their Highway Read More →
Lack laments that Santa Barbara
Measure B, the controversial height limit proposal on the city’s November ballot, will no doubt change the way buildings are erected in Santa Barbara, but contractor David Lack thinks there’s something more pressing at hand: making green builders feel welcome. “If someone like me bends over backward to meet the city requirements and goes to Read More →
Green Coast gets ready for its close-up
Six months ago I wrote a column suggesting that we reinvent the tri-county economy as a “Green Coast” for energy research and innovation. Now there are signs this idea is becoming a reality. On Sept. 30, a broad-based coalition of business, government, major universities and nonprofit groups applied to the California Department of Housing and Read More →
San Luis Obispo Kohl
The former Mervyn’s in San Luis Obispo opened its doors for the first time as a Kohl’s on Sept. 30. The grand opening comes as the company unveils 37 locations across the country. The 30 new California stores, including the San Luis Obispo location, are all refurbished Mervyn’s buildings. “We are situated in a great Read More →
25-year view: Putting it all in perspective
Twenty-five years ago, a recently retired New York banker stopped by a cabin in New Hampshire for a chat with a few friends. I was fortunate enough to have been present that day — as a relatively new reporter for a medium-sized newspaper in Massachusetts, I got a glimpse behind the scenes on Wall Street. Read More →
Business tax violates Sol
First, a disclosure. My late father, Sol Dubroff, spent much of his career as a tax systems architect, working for the U.S. Treasury and later for the IMF and other development agencies. He absolutely detested the value added tax, or VAT. He accepted the fact that taxes are the price we pay for liberty and Read More →
Foundation puts cash to work in soft commercial real estate market
In a typical week, I get about a dozen real estate deals in my inbox. Most of them are pretty forgettable, and some are only buzzworthy because, well … there’s nothing else to buzz about. Leases are few and sales are far between. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard from Ron Gallo, Read More →
