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Like Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid, the Berkeley Iceland gave a swift Crane kick to anyone looking to tear it down.
On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council voted 5-4 to keep the Iceland’s landmark status, which puts up road blocks for the proposed housing units that may go on the site if the developer wishes to continue to pursue that route.
“When a building is landmarked, the cost of renovating is often prohibitive,” said Ali Kashani, who entered an agreement with rink owners last week to purchase the property. “We’re going to study that and decide whether we want to do it at this point.”
Of course, the Save Berkeley Iceland people are enthused. We weren’t at the meeting Tuesday, but we’re sure, spinning inside their heads, was this montage from The Karate Kid with Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best” playing in the background.
“I was pleased that we’ve gotten this far and that that building is protected for the moment. It’s a big step,” said Tom Killilea, the group’s executive director.
Happiness is one thing, but can this group really save the Berkeley Iceland?
Killilea said the group has raised approximately $600,000 so far and that it believes as a nonprofit organization it could run the rink. However, the former rink managers have said it was not financially feasible.
Damn. We guess you were only the best around for just one night.
Image Source: Ted Kwong, Daily Cal
Iceland to Keep Landmark Status [Daily Cal]
Comments:
Jul 22, 2007 at 11:57 pm
gerald! i enjoyed that. nice bloggin skillz.