The weathered structure on the former Winbigler property in Los Altos Hills that has been pending demolition since August could be torn down as early as Oct. 28.
Attorneys representing the city and the former owners, Maria Ligeti and Gordon Campbell, are scheduled to meet in court Oct. 26 when a judge will decide if the city can issue a demolition permit to Pinewood School, the new owner of the 7-acre property.
Over past months, Pinewood School has been faulted for not tearing down the structure, which violates city code. It now appears the former owners of the property, Ligeti and Campbell, have prevented the destruction of the structure because they claim it must remain as evidence for their lawsuit with the city.
“Pinewood wants to demolish the residence; the town wants it demolished; Campbell and Ligeti don’t want it demolished,” said Carl Cahill, planning director.
The couple tore down the landmark Winbigler home without city approval and erected a structure that Councilman Dean Warshawsky likens to something
belonging to the Addam’s Family. The couple’s actions sparked a lawsuit with the city that has spanned two years.
The city had expected Pinewood to provide a demolition plan as part of a June 30 agreement. When Pinewood failed to present the demolition plan by the agreed deadline, the city gave Pinewood 30 days to tear down the unfinished, deteriorating structure as of Aug. 3.
Pinewood has applied for the demolition permit and will take action as soon as the permit is approved, said Scott Riches, president of Pinewood School. The school is aware the structure is an “eyesore” and is anxious to remove it.
“We’ve been caught in the middle,” he said. “On the one hand, the town says, ‘Tear it down.’ On the other, Campbell and Ligeti say we can’t.”
Campbell and Ligeti embarked on a massive construction project involving an 18,000-square-foot addition that included a 35-foot height variance.
The plans had been approved on the condition that the couple incorporate the historic 1926 Winbigler home into the new structure. The house was not to be removed, relocated or demolished without returning to the planning commission for approval.
When the couple applied for a new site development permit after the demolition, they told the planning commission the historic home had been torn down by mistake.
The current structure has sat incomplete since 2002 when the city council voted to uphold the planning commission’s decision to revoke the height variance and deny the request for a site development permit.
