North Park Main Street 2000-2001
Annual Report

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 adopted the Main Street strategy for revitalizing two 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.

Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

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.

• Formed the North Park Micro District to enable North Park Main Street to do improvements on University Avenue from Park Boulevard to 28th Street.

• Coordinated the first meeting of the North Park Micro District. Issues discussed included traffic speeds, infrastructure improvements, pedestrian safety, overall cleanliness, and the desire for restaurants and more varied retail.

• Continued to develop multi-faceted design guidelines that address such issues as façades, streetscapes, outdoor displays, and transportation.

• Proposed a Temporary Encroachment Zone (TEZ), which would allow outdoor displays of merchandise, sidewalk cafés without railings, and A-frame signs.

• Advocated for the TEZ before the Greater North Park Community Planning Committee and the San Diego City Council.

• Assisted both Caffé Calabria and North Park Studio with façade improvements through the City‘s Storefront Improvement Program.

• Advocated against the proposed limitation of Storefront Improvement Program projects for business improvement districts.

• Relocated the North Park Main Street Office to 3074 University Avenue in the Universal Building.

• Opposed the proposed Entertainment Ordinance, which would allow the police to regulate coffee shops like bars and adult entertainment clubs, and would also require coffee shop patrons to be 21 and older if entertainment is provided.

• Presented the historic streetcar proposal at the Zoo Working Group meeting in Balboa Park.

• Featured on 88.5 FM radio in an interview by Ron Oliver. The thrust of the half-hour interview was the revitalization efforts of North Park Main Street.

• Wrote a Walkable Communities grant application aimed at improving the traffic flow of University Avenue and promoting pedestrian safety.

• Met with City of San Diego Deputy Director of Redevelopment Todd Hooks and the Principals of the Rosenow Spevacek Group Inc. to discuss how North Park Main Street fits in to the overall plan for the redevelopment of North Park.

• Conducted a walking tour of the district to Carol Ann Gregory of California Main Street. She indicated that she had no idea how urban and diverse our community was.

• Invited by California Main Street to participate in two panels and present the Development Criteria for North Park Main Street at the California Main Street conference in October.

• Met again with the Zoo Working Group to advocate for more mass transit access to the San Diego Zoo and the inclusion of the historic streetcar as part of that mass transit system.

• Featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune on August 14, 2000 in an article on North Park Main Street’s proposal for an historic streetcar line.

• Successfully advocated for the inclusion of North Park in the citywide Live/Work Ordinance.

• Ordered a recycle pyramid to adorn the trash receptacle on the northwest corner of 30th & University.

• Featured in the newsletters of the National Main Street Center and California Main Street for the Development Criteria for North Park Main Street.

• Requested more trash containers for University Avenue to be placed between Park Boulevard and Utah Street.

• Opposed any further reduction of service on the Route 6 bus line.

• Held elections and seated the new Board of Directors for North Park Main Street.

• Unveiled the premier edition of the North Park Business Map.

• Hired Jude Thomas to be North Park Main Street’s Office Assistant to ensure the continued progression and maintenance of the program.

• Attended a Board of Directors’ retreat featuring Policy Governance, presented by Barbara Hanna & Associates.

• Hosted the North Park Days Sidewalk Celebration. Businesses sold merchandise outdoors and balloons were distributed throughout the district creating a festive, exiting environment.

• Reported a pothole at Ray Street and University Avenue that, by the end of the evening, had been repaired.

• Continued to oppose the Entertainment Ordinance that would give the Police Vice Squad authority to regulate coffee shops and other non-alcoholic entertainment establishments.

• Assisted Mo’ Betta Burgers with their plans to expand their business to the adjacent storefront.

• Attended the opening ceremony for the new North Park Community Service Center. North Park Main Street President Ron Sperry was recognized by Mayor Susan Golding and Councilmember Christine Kehoe at the ceremony.

• Supported a plan for a development project and a parking garage at the northeast corner of 32nd & University.

• Began preparations for a Community Initiated Development (CID) workshop in which the public and non-profit sector is trained to take an active role in development.

• Documented the installation of a sculpture by James Hubbell onto the roof of the North Park Studio building as part of the storefront improvement project.

• Led the North Park Toyland Parade with an historic San Diego streetcar from 1912 as our float. This is one of three such streetcars owned by Chris Chaffee that is proposed for operation along Park Boulevard and University Avenue.

• Began recruiting farmers for the opening of the North Park Thursday Night Market.

• Held a successful Holiday Party hosted by David Heinen of Shooterz in the Club Odyssey Room.

• Hosted the annual Seasonal Lighting and Decoration Contest. Winners this year were Art-Quest Flowers for Best Interior Display, Shooterz for Best Exterior Display, and Stone Paper Scissors for Best Window Display. In addition, there were two other “Exceptional Window” certificates awarded for Lost Your Marbles...Too and Parkco Manufacturing Co.

• Applied for a $344,000 Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot (TCSP) grant to fund a comprehensive study of transportation needs along the University Avenue corridor. North Park Main Street partnered with the City of San Diego, the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The grant included a feasibility study for the proposed historic streetcar line from downtown to North Park.

• Selected Chairs for all four of North Park Main Street Committees: Andy Hamilton for the Design Committee, Brenda Crann for the Economic Restructuring Committee, Ron Sperry for the Organization Committee, and Cheryl Robinson for the Promotion Committee.

• Reviewed the Zoo Working Group’s final report after participating for ten months in the planning process for the Zoo‘s expansion.

• Wrote a grant application to the San Diego Foundation for Graffiti Abatement. This Grant would supply the funding for the North Park Street Gallery in which utility boxes are decorated with art.

• Selected North Park Way between 29th and 30th streets to be the location for the North Park Thursday Night Market.

• Formalized a Memorandum of Understanding between the Stein Education Center to work together to reduce graffiti and litter from 30th & University intersection.

• Recruited and supported arts-, culture-, and entertainment-based businesses into the district, including The Cabernet, a wine storage facility on Ray Street.

• Submitted three Community Development Block Grant (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.”

• Entered the final stages of preparation for the April 5th opening of the North Park Thursday Night Market.

• Elected Arne Holt, owner of Caffé Calabria, to the North Park Main Street Board of Directors.

• Completed the first draft of the North Park Main Street Design Guidelines, which addresses many aspects and issues of urban design.

• Relocated the North Park Main Street Office to adjacent storefront at 3076 University Avenue.

• Supported several new businesses that moved into the area: Lady of the Lake (a metaphysical gift store), Old Town Pizza, Ranchos Cocina (a Mexican restaurant specializing in healthy and vegetarian Mexican cuisine) and Planet Rooth Studios (a custom art furniture studio owned by Swedish furniture designer Gustaf Rooth).

• Recruited two volunteer marketing specialists to the Spring Festival Committee: Rob Applegate and Van Barker.

• Ordered posters, postcards, and 44 lamppost banners to advertise the opening of the North Park Thursday Night Market.

• Distributed the North Park Way newsletter to the North Park Business Improvement District and the North Park Micro District.

• Coordinated with the San Diego Zoo to better understand the relationship between the Zoo expansion plans and the University Avenue transportation improvement plans.

• Continued to coordinate the Community Initiated Development workshop for the North Park area to occur this summer.

• Mailed postcards to 250 artists in the San Diego area to recruit artists for the North Park Street Gallery.

• Hired David Klaman to manage the Thursday Night Market.

• Monitored the site of a possible Home Depot development at 30th & University.

• Approved a resolution supporting smart growth in the San Diego region.

• Installed a recycle pyramid on the trash container at the corner of 30th & University to assist in the litter abatement program already in progress.

• Opened the North Park Thursday Night Market, a weekly farmers’ market from 4 pm to 7 pm. Councilmember Toni Atkins opened the market with a speech congratulating North Park Main Street and the Thursday Night Market Committee on a great job.

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

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

• Attended the California Main Street Executive Directors’ retreat at Bass Lake.

• Coordinated the planting of 35 trees on University Avenue from Ray Street to Interstate-805.

• Attracted 35,000 people to the fifth annual North Park Spring Festival, featuring five stages of live entertainment including a Dance Stage and a Karaoke Stage. North Park Main Street was given awards by both Mayor Dick Murphy and Councilmember Toni Atkins.

• Led a walking tour of the district with Kathy Rosenow and Frank Spevacek, consultants to the North Park Redevelopment Project Area Committee.

• Requested of the San Diego Redistricting Commission that North Park and Hillcrest remain within Council District 3.

• Awarded a $5,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation for the North Park Street Gallery.

• Featured on KPBS radio show These Days. Jay Turner was joined on the talk show by Councilmember Toni Atkins of Council District 3 and Meredith Dibden-Brown of the Office of Small Business.

• Requested to be part of a panel on historic theatres for the California Revitalization Conference in October 2001.

• Assisted Congresswoman Susan Davis’s staff in finding a location for Neighborhood Day in North Park.

• Coordinated the planting of 37 new trees from Texas Street to Utah Street.

• Assisted several North Park Businesses with permitting needs.

• Developed and adopted the new North Park Main Street Mission Statement: “To promote development that supports arts, culture, and entertainment, while preserving the historical integrity of North Park. To create a pedestrian-friendly destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment that supports our local businesses.”

Ron Sperry, President

Katie Rasmussen, Vice President

, Vice President

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Andy Hamilton, Design

Brenda Crann, Economic Restructuring

Joanne Kemp, Organization

Cheryl Robinson, Promotion

Jay Turner, Executive Director

Richard Kurylo, Assistant Director