North Park Main Street 1999-2000 Annual Report

Fiscal year 1999-2000 was a year of greater progress for North Park Main Street: grants were written to further our revitalization efforts, a North Park Micro District was formed on University from 28th Street to Park Blvd., the decorative sidewalks expanded to Ohio/Ray streets, and the 4^th annual North Park Spring Festival moved from sides streets to University Avenue and drew a crowd estimated at 30,000 - up from 2,000 in its first year.

Jay Turner,

Executive Director

Main Street is a volunteer-based coast-to-coast movement that has been successful in approximately 1,500 cities, towns, and neighborhoods. It is a system of community-based economic revitalization that was devised by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save historic and significant commercial buildings within economically-depressed commercial districts.

The City of San Diego recently adopted the Main Street strategy for revitalizing three Business Improvement Districts. A Business Improvement District (BID), supported by its member businesses, funds business-related activities and improvements which will benefit the business district.

The Main Street program’s success is based on a comprehensive strategy of volunteer work in four broad areas: Design, Economic Restructuring, Organization, and Promotion.

Linking to the rich art heritage that thrives in the neighborhood, North Park Main Street has adopted a plan to revitalize the district with an Arts, Culture, and Entertainment focus. Many of our businesses focus on the arts directly. Others occupy market niches that overlap with art such as camera sales or paint sales. Still others have begun to display art in their interiors. Galleries and art studios are expanding this concept. North Park Main Street is working proactively to cultivate and recruit businesses that achieve the vision of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment in the district.

North Park Main Street's
Highlights of the Year

July

• Developed a "Resolution Concerning the North Park Theatre," which stated that the theater (1) must remain a performing arts and/or cinema space and (2) must be restored in compliance with the Department of Interior Standards for historic preservation.

• Reaffirmed, as we move into the redevelopment phase of the district, that North Park Main Street is dedicated to retaining our older businesses as they establish the neighborhood character of the North Park commercial district.

• Selected Chinese Flame Trees, with a large canopy that will provide ample shade, as the species of tree to plant on 30th Street.

• Mentioned in the San Diego Reader as an enthusiastic effort to revitalize the North Park business district.
  Awarded two federal Community Development Block Grants for neighborhood revitalization and for streetscape improvements.

• Assisted several Main Street businesses with permitting problems.

• Entered data into the newly-developed North Park Main Street database.

• Digitally photographed commercial buildings in the district.

• Networked with other Main Street programs at the California Main Street Network Meeting in West Alameda, CA

• .Coordinated repair of the sound system of the North Park Sign which was funded by the North Park Lighting and Landscape Maintenance District (LLMD).

• Broke ground on the sidewalk reconstruction on University Avenue between 30th and Ohio/Ray streets.
  

August

• Assisted with a tree planting on 30th Street between Lincoln Avenue and North Park Way.

• Began planning the North Park Spring Festival in May.
  Explored the use of (1) re-development funds, (2) Micro District coordination, and (3) city-wide Main Street coordination as ways to diversify programmatic funding.
  Toured the successful streetcar restoration project in Tucson, AZ.

• Invited Main Street business owners to a free competitive skills training hosted by the University of San Diego.

• Met regularly with businesses during the reconstruction of the University Avenue sidewalks.

• Collected evidence for the Small Business Advisory Board regarding the debilitating practices of permitting, building, and plan checking staff upon small businesses.
  

September

• Recognized the need to fine-tune the City of San Diego’s Sidewalk Café Ordinance, the most restrictive in the State and in conflict with the planting of new trees.

• Urged an immediate evaluation of the current zoning and building code requirements in older neighbor-hoods inasmuch as they are an impediment to the development of North Park as an Arts, Culture, and Entertainment district.

• Completed a Business Survey and a Shopper Intercept Survey for North Park Main Street.

• Completed the Associate Membership brochure for those businesses and individuals wishing to join North Park Main Street in our revitalization efforts.

• Continued to meet regularly with businesses during the reconstruction of the University Avenue sidewalks.
  Tracked the progress of the development of the North Park Theatre

October

• Seated the new Board of Directors for North Park Main Street.

• Nominated Past President Hal Thomas to represent North Park Main Street on the BID Council and the BID Foundation Boards.

• Entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Christian and Elizabeth Chaffee, owners of three historic streetcars, to use the cars for the proposed Park Boulevard route.

• Began working with Grossmont College Professor Josephine Messina and her students to produce a PowerPoint presentation on the historic streetcar project.

• Hosted the North Park Days Sidewalk Celebration. Businesses sold merchandise outdoors and balloons were distributed throughout the district creating a festive, exiting environment. A coupon book and merchant directory advertised North Park Main Street businesses.

• Presented at the California Main Street Training Institute in Los Angeles (1) the "Development Criteria For North Park Main Street" and (2) how to organize a Design Committee.

• Insisted that design imperfections be corrected on the University Avenue sidewalk reconstruction project.

• Amended the by-laws regarding Associate Memberships, Board of Directors elections, and Board vacancies.

November

• Elected and seated the new officers of the Board of Directors - Ellen Yacovone, President; Ron Sperry, Vice President; Katie Rasmussen, Secretary; and Van C. Kaump, Treasurer.

• Applied for a Design Grant from Nowell & Associates for streetscaping on University Avenue between Ohio/Ray streets and Iowa/Herman streets.

• Applied for a $1.1 million grant from SANDAG for streetscaping along University Avenue.

• Brought to the City’s attention the quality of work problems associated with their "lowest bidder" system of selecting contractors. Suggested a "lowest qualified bidder" system in which the contractors’ qualifications are determined objectively.

• Received assistance from two Hoover High School students, Ice Tran and Trinh Nguyen, through the school’s internship program.

• Received support from 25 organizations for the historic streetcar proposal.

• Selected by the BID Council to evaluate the citywide Main Street program.

• Presented to City Council members, City staff, business people, and citizens of Oceanside on the Main Street method of revitalization.

• Established regulations for use of the North Park Theatre marquee by community groups.

• Assisted the Commission of Arts & Culture in streamlining their Festivals and Celebrations grant application process.

• Supported the future installation of pay toilets and kiosks of the type used in Paris, France and San Francisco, CA for a location near 30th & University.

• Assisted a Main Street business with permitting problems regarding their pending sidewalk café.

• Awarded the oversight of a newly-formed North Park Micro District to conduct revitalization activities on University Avenue from 28th Street to Park Blvd.

December

• Presented a Partnership Award with California Main Street to Grossmont College after their unveiling of the streetcar PowerPoint presentation produced for North Park Main Street.

• Proposed an Economic Redevelopment Proposal to the North Park Redevelopment Project Area Committee (PAC) for North Park Main Street to administer redevelopment in the commercial areas of North Park.

• Assisted the City in locating a Community Service Center and a new Police Storefront in North Park.

• Applied for a Transit Oriented Development grant from SANDAG to conduct a parking study in the North Park business district.

• Featured in the National Main Street Center’s Main Street News for the "Development Criteria for North Park Main Street."

• Met with representatives from Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) to discuss issues of concern in North Park including bus stop designs, bus stop cleanliness, and the historic streetcar proposal.

• Assisted a new business in the North Park Micro District with their permitting problems.

• Contacted City officials about repairing damage done to a bus stop umbrella and seating cubes in an unfortunate car accident.

• Held a successful Holiday Party hosted by David Heinen of Shooterz.

• Hosted the annual Seasonal Lighting and Decoration Contest. Winners this year were Art-Quest Flowers for Best Window Display, Shooterz for Best Exterior, and Claire de Lune for Best Interior.

January

• Recruited Sumner & Dene art gallery from Mission Hills to North Park.

• Featured in the North Park News in an extensive color front page article about recent accomplishments and storefront improvements.

• Given direction by the North Park Redevelopment PAC to continue moving forward with the proposed Economic Redevelopment Proposal for North Park. Met with Redevelopment Agency representatives to discuss the proposal.

• Began meeting with State and City Main Street representatives to evaluate the citywide Main Street program known as "San Diego Main Streets."

• Received a Small Business Enhancement Program (SBEP) grant from the BID Council for administrative costs.

• Re-elected Andy Hamilton as Chair of the Design Committee, Eric Bernhard as Chair of the Economic Restructuring Committee, and Cheryl Robinson as Chair of the Promotion Committee. Elected Ron Sperry as the new Chair of the Organization Committee.

• Received unanimous approval by East Village Association to co-write a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for a feasibility study for the proposed historic streetcar.

• Submitted three CDBG applications totaling $429,030: (1) "Transportation and Parking Plan - Downtown to Mid-City," (2) "North Park Main Street Neighborhood Revitalization," and (3) "North Park Sidewalk Improvements."

• Provided information to Fort Morgan, CO about database development.

• Participated in a meeting with the Facilities Development Director for the San Diego Unified School District, the Principal and faculty of Jefferson Elementary School, and community members to discuss colors for the painting of Jefferson Elementary School.

• Awarded $5,000 in streetscape design work from Nowell & Associates for University Avenue between Ohio/Ray streets and Iowa/Herman streets.

• Featured on the front page of national publication Downtown Idea Exchange for the "Development Criteria for North Park Main Street."

• Finalized the design of the database with Dearinger Information Systems to produce professional-style comp sheets for potential tenants.

• Requested of MTDB that the bus shelters on University Avenue be cleaned. The problem was investigated and a power washing of the shelters was scheduled.

• Requested of MTDB that their holiday map include neighborhoods and business districts in addition to malls and shopping centers.

• Featured favorably as a neighborhood in Zagat Survey, a nationally-distributed restaurant guide. North Park was described as "up-and-coming," and The Mission restaurant described as "decidedly-hip."

February

• Awarded funding for Fiscal Year 1999-2000 from the BID Council for technical assistance.

• Advocated for the inclusion of North Park Main Street as a designated area for pushcart vendors.

• Attended Councilmember Kehoe’s Community Spirit Awards in which Hal Thomas received an award for his work with North Park Main Street, the BID Council, and the BID Foundation.

• Received computer assistance from Grossmont College intern Beverly Clark.

• Attended, as a guest of MTDB, a luncheon featuring Governor Gray Davis.

• Featured in the National Main Street Center’s newsletter regarding our award-winning "Development Criteria for North Park Main Street."

• Advocated for the BID Council for representation on the Zoo Working Group.

• Reviewed and made suggested improvements to the City’s graffiti ordinance in conjunction with three other BID Executive Directors.

• Collaborated with ACCIÓN to promote the Mid-City Business Loan Program including distributing flyers and referring businesses in to ACCIÓN.

• Contracted with PR Productions to assemble a North Park Business Map with a first edition production run of 15,000 maps.

March

• Partnered with Little Italy and Adams Avenue in seeking a Temporary Encroachment Zone to develop localized regulations on sidewalk cafés and outdoor displays of merchandise.

• Ranked twelfth of 55 Countywide projects in our grant application for $1.1 million in sidewalk improvements; however, only the first nine grants were funded.

• Identified Saturday, August 16, 2003, the 150th anniversary of the birth of John D. Spreckels, as a fitting date for a streetcar opening or ground-breaking ceremony.

• Began following regularly the developments of the Zoo Working Group.

• Provided information and assistance to potential developers of the North Park Theatre.

• Directed Grossmont College students in the creation of a slide presentation for the North Park Theatre.

• Applied for grants from both the City and the County for the North Park Spring Festival.

• Worked with the City’s Infrastructure Impact Program to provide information to Ray Street merchants about a pipeline construction project.

• Gave a walking tour to an MTDB representative to visually demonstrate issues of cleanliness and bus stop encroachments on the sidewalk.

• Asked that the City replace a trash receptacle at the former Pacific Bell Building because it was removed without reason.

April

• Provided information about the Main Street program to the Echo Park and Silverlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

• Met with Councilmember candidate Toni Atkins and Mayoral candidate Ron Roberts to discuss the needs of older commercial districts in San Diego.

• Toured the Design Committee through North Park Main Street and the North Park Micro District as the first step in developing Design Guidelines.

• Requested that the Greater North Park Community Planning Committee ask the City to conduct a transportation study of University Avenue.

• Produced Destination North Park, a transportation plan for University Avenue.

• Produced Destination Main Street, a transportation plan based upon Destination North Park for use by other Main Street programs.

• Met with developers who expressed interest in redeveloping property on University Avenue.

• Toured the successful streetcar restoration project in Charlotte, NC.

• Awarded a Festival and Celebrations grant from the Commission for Arts & Culture for the 2001 North Park Spring Festival.

May

• Attracted an estimated 30,000 people to the neighborhood for the annual North Park Spring Festival.

• Networked with other Main Street programs at the California Main Street Network Meeting in Encinitas, CA.
  Opposed the limitation of Storefront Improvement Program funds to BIDs.

• Requested of our State representatives that the feasibility study for the proposed historic streetcar line be included in the State budget.

• Distributed, to community groups, guidelines for use of the North Park Theatre marquee.

June

• Completed the evaluation of the citywide San Diego Main Streets program, including recommend-ations for its future, and presented the report to the BID Council.

• Attended a meeting about constraints to the development of mixed-use projects in San Diego.

• Developed a logo and a banner design for the proposed North Park Thursday Night Market scheduled to begin Spring 2001.

• Nominated Richard Kurylo for appointment to the seven-member City of San Diego Redistricting Commission to redraw the City Council boundaries using updated Census data.

• Passed an updated "Resolution Concerning the North Park Theatre," which states that, regardless of the developer, the theater (1) must remain a performing arts and/or cinema space and (2) must be restored in compliance with the Department of Interior Standards for historic preservation

Ron Sperry, Vice President

Katie Rasmussen, Secretary

Van C. Kaump, Treasurer

Kevin Dearinger

Buster Daly’s

Patrick Edwards

David Heinen

Kathryn Irey

Roy Sumner Johnson

Joanne Kemp

Richard Miller

Joe Schloss

Hal Thomas

Richard Kurylo, Asst. Director