A modernized Gaslamp Quarters promenade could transform downtown. Can the city afford it? – San Diego Union-Tribune
A new study says it will take a lot more than expected — $65 million versus $45 million — to take the fledgling Gaslamp Promenade to the next level with street furniture, performance areas and shaded gathering places.
City officials and downtown merchants say the improvements are needed to transform the boardwalk into a regional attraction that could strengthen downtown and help San Diego host more conventions.
The promenade, created a year ago by closing seven blocks of Fifth Avenue to car traffic for 14 hours a day, is considered a moderate success that has made the area more pedestrian-friendly and lively.
But the Gaslamp Quarter is still suffering from a wave of vacant retail and restaurant spaces, particularly on the northern blocks toward Broadway. And while the neighborhood is lively late at night, large swaths of it are nearly empty in the afternoon and evening.
The promenade, which stretches from Broadway to K Street, also fell short of some of the goals envisioned when the idea was first proposed in 2019.
These include expanding the Gaslamp Quarter’s appeal to visitors beyond tourists staying downtown and reclaiming the area and surrounding blocks from growing homeless populations.
Downtown business owners say that’s because there’s a big difference between simply closing a road to cars and transforming it with street trees, shade structures and other features.
“The closed street is a good thing, but we need curb appeal and shade,” said Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association.
Trimble said he would also like to see designated performance spaces, yoga spots, art installations, rules for buskers and many other features. He added that the sidewalk should also be replaced with decorative stone pavers.
“We want to soften the feel of the asphalt,” he said.
Officials with the city’s Department of Mobility and Sustainability also want to make changes to the boardwalk, saying the area should attract a “broader audience” and become a unique experience in San Diego.
Sustainability and mobility leaders have suggested encouraging small developments on the street and on sidewalks, and allowing restaurant seating to extend significantly into the public realm. They say such changes would update the Gaslamp’s image in a positive way.
Most of the features and amenities suggested by Trimble and city officials have been part of the plan since the idea for the promenade was first proposed five years ago and studied by local architecture firm Carrier Johnson + Culture.
But Mayor Todd Gloria decided last year to pay just over $500,000 for a second study by local engineering firm Psomas.
The new 222-page study, called a feasibility analysis, estimates the cost of adding all the features under consideration at $65 million, about $20 million more than previous estimates.
Trimble, who met with Gloria this month about the study and is expected to meet again next month, said the high cost could be a major obstacle for a city facing major budget problems.
“The city and the mayor have committed to doing this, but it’s not clear when it’s going to happen,” Trimble said. “But the feasibility study is the road map the city needs.”
Gloria declined to comment this week. City spokeswoman Nicole Darling said “the city is still evaluating next steps and funding opportunities.”
The project appears likely to be eligible for a wide variety of grants.
Similar public space projects in Hillcrest, Escondido and other local communities have received major grants from the county’s regional planning agency, the San Diego Association of Governments.
Last year, the city received a federal “Safe Streets for All” grant to develop slow streets, where vehicular traffic is removed from existing roads to make them safer and more attractive to pedestrians, cyclists, skaters and others.
Proponents of the Gaslamp Promenade say that even if most or part of the costs cannot be covered by grants, city officials should step in because it would be a wise investment.
“The Gaslamp Quarter goes hand in hand with hosting conventions,” Trimble said.
The Gaslamp is typically a big part of the experience for people attending conventions in San Diego, so Trimble said it made sense to enhance that experience.
Additionally, he said implementing the full vision for the promenade would likely spur significant private investment in the Gaslamp Quarter from developers of restaurants, shops and housing.
The new study presents two main options that cost roughly the same.
One option would be to narrow the Fifth Avenue roadway from 44 feet to 26 feet and widen the sidewalks to fill the extra space. The other option would be to eliminate the sidewalks and make the entire street a single level.
In both scenarios, traffic on Fifth Avenue would likely be limited to emergency vehicles. But the study notes that the city could choose to allow non-emergency vehicles at certain times.
The study also recommends extending the K Street promenade south to L Street and Harbor Drive. That could create access issues for hotels and Petco Park, but it would connect the promenade directly to the convention center.
Trimble said another key goal is to make the Gaslamp whole by focusing attention on the northern blocks between F Street and Broadway.
The study suggests building a second “Gaslamp Quarter” arch on Fifth Avenue between E Street and Broadway. Trimble said the arch would cost $800,000, eight times more than the original arch built in 1992 near K Street.
The creation of the promenade essentially began with an expansion of outdoor restaurant seating into downtown parking lots, including on Fifth Avenue, at the start of the pandemic.
City officials then began temporarily closing traffic lanes in the middle of blocks to allow for more outdoor gathering spaces and better pedestrian mobility.
From July 2020 to June 2023, different parts of Fifth Avenue were closed to car and rickshaw traffic at different times, five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday.
In July 2023, the city expanded the walk to seven days a week, extended hours from noon to 2 a.m. and replaced makeshift barricades for bike racks with more functional terminals.
The schedule allows for goods to be delivered to businesses between 2 a.m. and noon, which Trimble said works well in most cases. However, he said there are traffic problems in nearby neighborhoods that officials are trying to resolve.
The Trimble Association has also created a webpage to help people find the easiest ways to get to the Gaslamp and the best places to park nearby. The site is gaslamp.org/transportation.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
