The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve the $2.5 million sale of a dilapidated former AIDS hospice named for a hero of San Diego’s gay and lesbian community.
A representative of the buyer, Nakhshab Development and Design Inc., said the Truax House — at Laurel and Union streets in Bankers Hill — will be restored and the ground floor will be made into a community meeting space.
The home was named for Brad Truax, a doctor who spread awareness of AIDS in the 1980s. He died of the disease in 1988.
Councilman Todd Gloria, who is gay and represents the area, said he believes the transaction matches the wishes the panel laid out four months ago when it agreed to seek a buyer.
Among other things, selling the structure will remove a liability from the city’s real estate portfolio, the land will return to the tax rolls, the neighborhood will see the benefits of the development, and it could lead to creation of an AIDS memorial long desired by LGBT leaders, Gloria said.
Longtime local LGBT leader Nicole Murray Ramirez said the home’s history makes it “sacred ground” for the area’s gays and lesbians. She has teamed with Katherine Faulconer, wife of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, to head up fundraising to build the memorial.
The mayor said the council’s vote will help the city commemorate an important chapter in both LGBT and San Diego history.
“Not only will the Truax house be preserved under new ownership, but I’ve directed that proceeds from the sale go toward our goal of building a permanent memorial to honor Dr. Truax and all San Diegans who have been affected by HIV and AIDS,” Faulconer said. “I would like to thank Councilmember Gloria for his efforts on this project and the City Council for their actions today.”
According to a city report, the developer plans to replace a second structure on the property with a mixed-use structure that would house a coffee shop, office space and residential units — of which 10 percent would be set aside as affordable housing.
–City News Service
