HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Will Vote on Razing Buildings

The City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on the proposed demolition of several old commercial buildings in the downtown area, including a T-shirt shop that was gutted in an arson fire Jan. 14.

Larry’s T-Shirts, at 408 Pacific Coast Highway, was essentially destroyed in the January blaze, leading city officials to recommend that the remains of the shop and four other downtown buildings be demolished and that the land be made available for redevelopment.

The other four buildings proposed to be razed: Touch of East, 408A Pacific Coast Highway; T-Shirt Fantasy, 408 1/2 Pacific Coast Highway; Things for Your Head, 410 Pacific Coast Highway, and the former Terry Buick dealership, 114 5th St.

“These buildings constitute a significant liability to the city in their existing condition,” said Barbara A. Kaiser, deputy city administrator, in a written report to the City Council.

Kaiser added that the old Terry Buick property “has been broken into on several occasions this past year.”

Mayor Peter M. Green said on Monday that the city already owns all of the buildings and has been renting them, pending redevelopment proposals. If the City Council approves demolition of the old structures, the land will be used for parking until new buildings are constructed.