Mitt Romney’s $12 million, 3,009-square-foot home is apparently just not big or expensive enough for the former Massachusetts governor and his wife. He’s filed an application with the city of La Jolla to bulldoze the puny house and start all over again.
If the application is approved, the new home will be a quaint 11,062 square feet. (Romney still ahead in NH after GOP primary shake-up)
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Romney purchased the Spanish-style house three years ago. The listing agent describes the residence, which is at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, as sophisticated and understated, “offering complete privacy and unsurpassed elegance.”
Romney moved into the home, once owned by former San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor, because he “wanted to be where I could hear the waves.”
“As a boy we spent summers on lake Huron and I could hear the crashing waves at night. It was one of my favorite things in the world; being near the water and the waves was something I very badly wanted to experience again,” he told reporters at a book signing last year.
San Diego County Democratic Party Chairman Jess Durfee used the potential new home augmentation as a pretext to attack Romney politically. “Let’s hope he hires a contractor that provides union-equivalent wages and helps to stimulate the local economy,” Durfee said. “He also could register to vote here and help out the Republicans, whose numbers are dwindling.”
Romney spokesman Ryan Williams declined to comment on the Union-Tribune story.
The plans for construction call for new retaining walls and a new, relocated driveway. The lap pool and spa on the property would remain untouched.