North Park Main Street

Annual Report

2003-2004

Fiscal year 2003-2004 was one of phenomenal growth and progress for North Park Main Street and downtown North Park. Strides were made in all four points of the Main Street method of revitalization – design, economic restructuring, organization, and promotion. North Park Main Street over the last fiscal year has helped guide development projects, hosted events, and assisted downtown North Park along its journey of revitalization.

There is now $100 million worth of development taking place. The North Park Theatre, the North Park Parking Garage, La Boheme (with 224 condominium units), and the Walgreens project at 32^nd Street and University all began this fiscal year. We are now seeing the benefits of our work to revitalize North Park.

In February North Park was named one of the City of San Diego’s five Pilot Villages in San Diego’s City of Villages program. This was joint effort between the North Park Community Association and North Park Main Street. The City of Villages application process reaches back to March 2003 when we submitted the first application. This fiscal year North Park Main Street (in conjunction with the North Park Community Association) hosted a workshop in September to inform the community about North Park’s application, created and submitted the second City of Villages application in November, and in January and February presented the North Park Pilot Village to the Citizen’s Coordinate for Century 3, the San Diego Planning Commission, and City Council. This could not have been possible without the efforts of North Park Main Street staff and volunteers, the North Park Community Association, and the support of North Park’s community members.

In addition to the City of Villages, North Park Main Street participated in a series of six workshops dedicated to redesigning University Avenue. The University Avenue Mobility Plan workshops were focused on making the University Avenue corridor friendlier for all types of transportation: cars, bikes, mass transit, and pedestrians.

In May North Park Main Street hosted the Eighth Annual Spring Festival. This year was the biggest yet for the Spring Festival. Over 40,000 people came to downtown North Park to see five stages of entertainment featuring dance, art, and music from local bands and performers as well as performers of world cultural music.

Clearly this year has been one of great success and accomplishment. This is all due the support of volunteers and community members. Without their drive and assistance none of this would be possible.

• Awarded $2,000 from the County of San Diego for the 2004 Spring Festival.

• Participated in the fourth and final public workshop to design the proposed North Park Parking Garage.

• Partnered with Walk San Diego and the North Park Community Association in the “Making Strides” pedestrian project dedicated to restoring pedestrian safety in the North Park community.

• Participated in a pre-submittal meeting for the University Avenue Mobility Plan.

• Posted the design of the North Park Parking Garage on the North Park Main Street website.

• Posted the design of the North Park Theatre on the North Park Main Street website.

• Featured in the American Association of Retired People’s magazine as “newly revitalized.”

• Featured in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles in an article about the proposed restoration of the historic streetcar.

• Featured in a Channel 10 News segment about the historic streetcar.

• Contacted the City of San Diego about the loss of parking on North Park Way resulting from a striping error after the street was resurfaced.

• Assisted the Adams Avenue Business Association and the City of Culver City with information on how to develop a utility box art project.

• Assisted the City Heights BID with information on how to select a new Executive Director.

• Assisted Frank Milan of Silver City, New Mexico on how to start a Main Street program.

• Lead a tour of the North Park Thursday Night Market to representatives from Pacoima and explained how to develop a farmers market.

• Seated the newly elected Board of Directors.

• Elected Officers for 2003-2004

• Hosted a Public Right of Way Enhancement/Use Program training to allow outdoor displays of merchandise, sidewalk cafes without railings, and A-frame signs.

• Assisted Bob Czarnowski in the development of the Poetry Building.

• Began the development of the third edition of the North Park Business Map.

• Researched the development of North Park gift certificates.

• Met with Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins to provide an update on North Park Main Street projects.

• Presented as a panel member about “investing in people & their communities.” for the Community Economic Development Program at San Diego State University.

• Supported the TransNet reauthorization (half-cent sales tax) and urged SANDAG to allocate 10 percent of TransNet funds for smart growth; City of Villages; and pedestrian, bicycle, and traffic safety.

• Assisted Paso Robles Main Street with a list of contractors specializing in unreinforced masonry and seismic retrofits.

• Requested that Councilmember Atkins to enact legislation to create oversight of the North Park Maintenance Assessment District.

• Fully supported the development of a park space on 29th Street as a community center that includes pedestrian amenities.

• Featured in National Main Street publication The Returning City: Historic Preservation and Transit in the Age of Civic Revival.

• Coordinated a successful Holiday Party at Bacchus House.

• Held the Seasonal Lighting and Decoration Contest. Winners were Art-Quest Flowers for Best Window Display and Ranchos Cocina for Best Exterior Display.

• Participated in the North Park Lions Holiday Parade. North Park Main Street’s theme was “Thinking Outside the Box.”

• Funded holiday wreaths on the lampposts throughout downtown North Park.

• Contributed to the Holiday Freeway Bridge Lighting Program over Interstate 805.

• Selected by the San Diego City Council to be one of five Pilot Village Projects in the City of Villages Program.

• Participated in the second in a series of six workshops for the University Avenue Mobility Plan.

• Voted in the North Park Redevelopment Project Area Committee elections.

• Requested that a rail linkage from University Avenue in North Park to Downtown San Diego be added to the Downtown General Plan at a joint meeting of the Centre City Development Corporation’s Urban Design and Transportation Committees.

• Began researching the availability of Federal funds to pay for implementation of the University Avenue Mobility Plan.

• Applied for $105,000 in CDBG funds.

• Applied for Community Enhancement funds from the City of San Diego for the 2005 Spring Festival.

• Applied for Community Enhancement funds from the County of San Diego for the 2005 Spring Festival.

• Hosted a workshop to assist building owners with the seismic retrofitting of their unreinforced masonry buildings.

• Presented at a SANDAG hearing to discuss the reauthorization of the TransNet half-cent sales tax.

• Attended an Historic Preservation workshop hosted by the California Preservation Foundation.

• Contacted the City of San Diego to report numerous streetlights being out in downtown North Park.

• Participated in the fourth in a series of six workshops for the University Avenue Mobility Plan.

• Met as a Pilot Village project with the Mayor’s policy advisor about sustainable development to incorporate green building technologies in the North Park Pilot Village area.

• Attended a public meeting in which two library proposals were presented to the Library Task Force.

• Reviewed containers for recycling and trash by EnviroBinz as a possible enhancement to downtown North Park.

• Featured favorably for our smart planning practices in a San Diego Union-Tribune article about redevelopment in the mid-city area.

• Recognized the San Diego Art Department as the business of the year in the North Park Business Improvement District as determined by a vote of North Park businesses.

• Asked and recommended to the North Park Redevelopment Project Area Committee that property owners and business owners be made eligible for funding and support to improve their businesses and increase the number of jobs they provide.

• Celebrated the third anniversary of the weekly North Park Thursday Night Market.

• Participated in the final in a series of six workshops for the University Avenue Mobility Plan.

• Attended a community update meeting regarding the La Boheme project. Western Pacific reported on the construction work that will be occurring on Ohio and Lincoln
  between July and October.

• Received approval from the North Park Redevelopment Project Area Committee (PAC) to continue our contract with the Redevelopment Agency to assist with revitalization activities in North Park.

• Participated in the first in a series of three public workshops to design Theatre Plaza, a public place on 29th Street between University Avenue and North Park Way.

• Continued to oppose elimination of four positions from the City of San Diego’s Office of Small Business.

• Supported the Business Improvement District and Business Improvement District Council budgets at a San Diego City Council meeting.

• Partnered with the Stein Education Center to offer recycling services to North Park businesses.

• Installed forty-four City of Villages banners throughout downtown North Park. All banners were sponsored by D.R. Horton, western Pacific Division.

• Received an award with consultants KTU+A in the category of “Focused Issue Planning Project” from the San Diego Chapter of the American Planning Association for the University Avenue Traffic Calming Conceptual Study.

• Approved the program budget for fiscal year 2004-2005.

• Assisted businesses in finding available spaces in the North Park commercial district.

• Assisted property owners in finding appropriate businesses for their available spaces.

• Assisted business owners and property owners as needed with permitting problems and issues.

• Organized the weekly Thursday Night Market where one can buy the freshest fruits, vegetables, flowers, and food, as well as arts & crafts.

• Conducted the “First Thursday Giveaway” at the farmers market, in which fruits and vegetables, flowers, gift certificates, merchandise, and other items are given away at 6:00 p.m. in a free drawing on the first Thursday of every month.

• Supported merchants by helping promote “Ray At Night,” a monthly art walk and open house on Ray Street and surrounding blocks.

• Continued developing an Historic Building Inventory to identify significant commercial buildings.

• Continued our Memorandum of Understanding with the Stein Education Center to reduce graffiti and litter from the 30th & University intersection and between Grim
  and 31st Street.

• Continued working on the North Park Street Gallery, in which artists paint utility boxes along University Avenue, 30th Street, North Park Way, and Lincoln Avenue.