A city grant has been awarded to modernize the La Mesa Goodwill, which anchors the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and Sprint Street.
The two-story building will retain its distinctive clock tower design, but its A-frame roof will be replaced with a box-style facade.
Goodwill received funding from the city’s Facade and Property Improvement grant program, which awards up to $25,000 to businesses in La Mesa’s Downtown Village to help them improve curb appeal.
The proposed project was unanimously approved by the city’s Design Review Board in September, and then passed as a consent calendar item during an October meeting of the La Mesa City Council.
In addition to the changes to the 16,000-square-foot building’s roofline, the project will add windows along Spring Street.
The city announced the change in a Facebook post that, at time of publication, had garnered 421 comments, many of them negative. Residents bemoaned the loss of architectural interest and said the project would harm the charm of the La Mesa Village.
City planners said in a report that the redesign aligns with the Downtown Village Specific Plan (DVSP)’s goals of pedestrian-oriented, visually cohesive architecture, although the project’s color palette deviates slightly from the DVSP’s parameters to adhere with Goodwill’s branding.
The project will move forward under city oversight. No timeline for construction has been announced.