As reported last week, Jo’An’s has sold to Idypark LLC, which belongs to Loie and Dave Butterfield. As he said, the restaurant will not reopen.
“As the center of town, we envision it to be a peaceful, beautiful location for all to enjoy,” Dave wrote in an email.
Their intention is to remove all the structures and make the property a public park, as it was originally from the 1950s into the middle of he 1970s.
Dave confirmed that the Butterfields “… will continue to support the tree lighting and other community programs that for years have been held at the site.”
Other local business people also have helped in this effort, according to Dave. “The acquisition of Jo’An’s was made possible through the efforts of Shane Stewart, broker of Idyllwild Realty, who waived his entire commission, and Bob Hughes of Hughes Properties, who waived a portion of his compensation in order to make Idypark a reality for the benefit and enjoyment of the community.”