Plus: The sweet old days of Summerland; former hostel site is on the market; accommodating an oak tree in style; Toro Canyon house sells for a million off the listing price.
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After buying this 1950s Cielito house in early 2018 for $3.5 million, Xorin Balbes embarked on a thorough renovation and redecoration—but without changing the footprint. Now he has listed it for just under $9 million. The house is certainly something to see….
In other recent news: Restaurateur James Sly has died; Laura Capps will run against Das Williams for county supervisor; Southern California Edison’s fire mitigation efforts; Carpinteria moves to acquire the Rincon Bluffs Preserve.
The Castle in the Sky has personality to burn—along with a swimming pool moat, hot tub grotto, circular platform bed, and helipad, complete with hangar.
Plus: The French Press has officially changed its name; Giovanni’s Pizza is down to just one location; Viva to become Eleven 14; Mosto Crudo has rebranded; Sama Sama Kitchen is partnering on an endeavor in Los Alamos.
“We’re vibing off of In-N-Out,” says Low Pigeon co-founder Dennis Medina, explaining the menu’s tight focus. “We want you to know that the is coffee always on point.”
And in other local news: Updated debris flow risk map should be out in October; the growing problem of homeowners unable to get insurance; strip mall to be redone before Sprouts’s arrival; bike paths, crosswalks, and roundabouts planned for Cliff Drive; new closing time for city parks; parking in Montecito; missile testing from San Nicolas Island.
It has all the amenities of a small hotel, including a screening room, bar, gym, tennis court, and 11 fireplaces, not to mention one of the most decadent lawns this side of Oprah Winfrey’s compound.
Plus: The two other traffic circles that might follow—one at San Ysidro Road and the 101, and another at E. Cabrillo and Los Patos Way.
Plus: Embermill restaurant opens this Friday; Bristol Farms, another Mesa Burger, and a French bakery on the horizon; La Michoacána is selling frozen treats; Hoffman Brat Haus is closing; Eleven 14 opening on State Street.
Burning Questions
- What Are Those Old Buildings at the Corner of Castillo and Montecito Streets?
- When Will the Coast Village Road Medians Be Completed?
- What’s This Scaffold Structure on Las Positas Road?
- Why Does Street Striping Take So Long to Happen?
- Why Do Rocket Launches Look the Way They Do?
- How Is the San Ysidro Debris Basin Designed to Work?
- What’s This Building on Helena Avenue?
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