Owners launch cleanup, revamp of blighted San Jose historic property

"We have gotten all the permits we need to do the site cleanup and start the construction that the building needs," Castillo said."

"We hope to be completed with the cleanup in about a year," Castillo said in an interview with this news organization."

""The Lawrence Hotel has been sitting blighted for too long," said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use and planning consultancy."

""The city really needs to make blight removal a priority. We need more than lip service.""

Owners of the Lawrence Hotel at 69 through 89 East San Fernando St. have launched a site cleanup and secured necessary permits to begin construction. The 1893 building suffered heavy fire damage in January 2021 and crews used a crane to remove blaze-scorched debris from the second floor. Co-owner Joseph Castillo estimated cleanup completion in about a year. Local political leaders and planning consultants have raised alarms about persistent downtown blight and urged prioritized removal. The abandoned First Church of Christ Scientist, dubbed the "trash-bag church," became a notable eyesore after a tarp deteriorated, prompting private action in 2023.

Read at The Mercury News