Residents of Coronado Cays, a waterfront enclave adjacent to Coronado’s Silver Strand shoreline, are accustomed to their houses generating headlines.
An 11,715-square-foot dockside mansion in the community drew television coverage last year when it hit the market for $37.5 million.
But residents say they were unprepared for a recent construction project that stands out even by today’s standards of ultra-wealthy conspicuous consumption.
At 15 Sandpiper Strand in the Cays’ Green Turtle neighborhood, crews are erecting what a developer describes as a “fully serviced estate” that features a Bugatti Chiron automobile in the living room, two “presidential-style” suites, a 100-foot dock big enough for two yachts – and the 40-foot-long fuselage of a Gulfstream G 550 jet on the roof.
It’s the rooftop jet that’s causing a problem.
Earlier this month, a group of neighbors sued the property owner and the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association, demanding an injunction blocking installation of the jet.
“An actual airplane fuselage is not in harmony with the neighborhood,” the suit contends. “In fact, unless a catastrophic disaster has occurred, one will not find airplane parts on the roofs of any of the homes in the Coronado Cays. That is because the Coronado Cays is an exclusive waterfront community, not a community of airplane hangars.”
Neighbor Carlos Cortez, who is not involved in the lawsuit, said nearby residents fear the jet will lower their property values and attract drones, selfie-seekers and other gawkers.
“There’s no precedent in all of San Diego County for someone having a jet on the roof,” he said. “If this is allowed to happen, what’s to stop someone from putting an Artemis II rocket on the roof?”
In response to emailed questions about the proposed jet, the developer of the $30 million house said the jet was part of a “unified architectural concept” intended to showcase the house’s “individuality and artistic expression.”
The developer, who declined to give a personal name, only the name of the development company working on the house, said it was too late for objections.
“With approvals granted over three years ago by both the [homeowners association] and the city of Coronado, and with construction now three to four months from completion, we are confident that these established facts outweigh speculative or opinion-based concerns,” the developer said.
The developer, whose company is called Donatello Bonasera, disagreed that the jet would lower property values or draw unwanted attention.
“Significant investment and high-quality custom development typically enhance surrounding property values rather than diminish them,” the developer said.
The developer declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The controversy , which Cortez said likely would be the subject of heated commentary at a scheduled homeowners association meeting today, highlights Coronado’s unique place in the wider economy and culture of South San Diego County.
The Cays, where three-bedroom homes sell for close to $5 million, sits directly across San Diego Bay from some of San Diego County’s lowest income communities.
State Assembly District 80, which encompasses much of South County (excluding Coronado), is home to one of California’s highest percentages of residents who qualify for federal health, nutrition and other aid programs. Forty-five percent of district residents qualify for such programs, according to a recent U.C. Berkeley report.
In District 77, a coastal strip of land including Coronado, just 16 percent of residents qualify for federal aid.
The Cays, a community of 1,200 luxury condominiums, townhomes and custom-built single-family homes, is visible across San Diego Bay from most South County cities. Many properties feature their own boat slips.
“With the sun glistening across each water inlet and your boat in your own backyard, the magic of the water is yours to see, touch and sit on,” the community’s website says.
Owners range from locals who have lived in the area for most of their lives to international jetsetters who visit their Coronado Cays property a few times a year.
Cortez said the owner of 15 Sandpiper Strand initially kept a low profile after buying the property a few years ago. More recently, rumors about his identity have flown around the neighborhood, fueled in part by what Cortez said were frequent sightings of Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and other luxury cars outside the property.
The lawsuit, filed April 10 in San Diego Superior Court, identifies the owner as Abdulelah I. Albusseir, who is also listed in state business filings as the manager of the Donatello Bonasera development company that submitted architectural plans for the house with the jet.
The plans, which identify the house as “Casa Faten: The Jet House,” show the nose of the Gulfstream fuselage poking slightly over a roughly 2.5-foot-tall glass parapet encircling the roof. Following initial objections from neighbors last year, the developer added to the plans an eight-foot solid wall shielding the jet from some neighbors’ view.
Renderings provided by the developer show a glass-walled mansion with a sleek modernistic interior and what appears to be a roughly 130-square-foot image of a fake $1 million bill imprinted on the roof beside the jet fuselage. A glass geodesic dome encompasses a jacuzzi on the other side of the roof.
Donatello Bonasera advertises itself on its website as a builder of skyscrapers, “high-end luxury residences” and “bespoke bunkers.”
An artist who also goes by the name Donatello Bonasera – and who discussed the Jet House with Voice following an email inquiry posted to his website – describes himself as a craftsman of fine gold artworks, “a creator whose work is both timeless and transcendent.”
The artist’s website features works such as a solid gold skull with a rose clenched in its jaws.
The Donatello Bonasera representative who replied to Voice of San Diego’s email declined to confirm whether Donatello Bonasera the artist is the same as the Jet House developer — or if either of those people are Abdulelah Albusseir.
“Some of your questions relate to private ownership and personal matters that are outside the scope of the development team’s role and knowledge,” the representative’s email says.
An undated advertorial published on the website of Architectural Digest magazine suggests that Donatello Bonasera — whoever he is — is a man of many talents.
The advertorial describes Mr. Bonasera as an “Artist, Builder & Icon” who has inspired comparisons to Leonardo Da Vinci and now is setting his sights on building a new residential community – on Mars.
“This isn’t science fiction,” the advertorial says of the developer’s interplanetary ambitions.
For now, the advertorial says, Donatello Bonasera is focused on jet-themed buildings. The advertorial includes a rendering of another house Donatello Bonasera built that also features a jet on the roof.
“The result is architecture with the presence of flight itself, balanced between earth and sky,” the advertorial says.
One outstanding rumor remains impossible to verify. Cortez said some neighbors believe Albusseir is a Sheikh from somewhere in the Middle East.
Several online business publications of uncertain origin refer to a “Sheikh Abdulelah Al Busseir” as “a real estate and investment magnate who has amassed incredible wealth while keeping a modest profile.”
One publication identifies the sheikh as “The Phantom Billionaire.”
Phantom or not, Cortez said neighbors simply want the jet to go away.
“It’s not about whether it’s tasteful or fancy or nice,” he said. “It’s the precedent.”
In Other News
The Chula Vista City Council on Tuesday approved spending up to $398,000 for a comprehensive review of police department facilities that will help determine whether the department needs to build a new eastside substation. City Councilmember Michael Inzunza, who represents part of eastern Chula Vista, said residents identified public safety and slow police response times as top concerns during door-to-door canvasing for the 2024 City Council election.
Also on Tuesday, the National City Council approved a beefed-up five-year extension of the city’s agreement with the American Golf Corporation for management of the city’s Las Palmas Municipal Golf Course. Residents packed the meeting, fearing the city planned to close the golf course, based on inaccurate information circulating on social media. A crowd at the meeting applauded councilmembers’ unanimous vote to extend the agreement.
The National City Council also began its budget process for the upcoming fiscal year. A preliminary presentation from city finance officials said the city’s current $9 million deficit will nearly double to more than $16 million absent changes in spending or revenue.