SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A pair of Hillcrest restaurants that shuttered back in 1985 and have been languishing since now appear to be ripe for redevelopment.
In October, the Pernicano family sold the former Pernicano's and the adjacent Casa Di Baffi restaurants to a real estate firm called Carmel Partners for $8.4 million.
George Pernicano passed away in 2016. His family had been trying to sell the property in recent years, but multiple deals fell out of escrow.
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The restaurants have been neglected for years. At Pernicano's near Sixth and University, there is graffiti on its outter walls and trash on the property.
Hillcrest residents have called it an eyesore and a nuisance.
Gary Pernicano, George Pernicano's son, said George Pernicano shut the restaurants down in the 1980s to take care of his ailing wife.
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However, many in Hillcrest allege that Pernicano closed the restaurants and ignored them because he did not like that Hillcrest was becoming an LGBT centric area in San Diego. Gary Pernicano says those rumors are absolutely false.
The property is zoned for mixed-use, with about 60 residential units above ground.
