San Diego City Announcements and State of Balboa Park – June 14, 2023
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San Diego City Announcements and State of Balboa Park – June 14, 2023
Mayor Todd Gloria, joined by City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, community leaders, and city staff, delivered a series of announcements and updates on major infrastructure, public space, and park projects. The meeting covered the completion of the Gas Lamp Promenade Phase 1, the opening of the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge, federal funding for street light repairs, and a comprehensive State of Balboa Park address.
Gas Lamp Promenade
- Mayor Gloria announced the completion of the Gas Lamp Promenade Phase 1, which includes the installation of steel bollards on Fifth Avenue from Broadway to K Street, allowing daily vehicle closure from noon to 2 a.m. The project builds on the success of the pandemic-era outdoor dining program and aims to create a safe, walkable, and vibrant public space. The city council designated Fifth Avenue as a “slow street” in April 2023, making the closure permanent. A feasibility study for long-term improvements is underway. Speakers included Councilmember Whitburn, Gas Lamp Quarter Association Executive Director Michael Trimble, and Downtown San Diego Partnership President Betsy Brennan, all expressing strong support for the promenade as an economic development and placemaking strategy.
West Mission Bay Drive Bridge
- Mayor Gloria celebrated the completion and opening of the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge, described as the largest city-managed transportation project in San Diego’s history. The project added two parallel structures (northbound and southbound) to relieve traffic congestion, and included 12 acres of wetland mitigation to restore critical habitat. The bridge enhances connectivity between beach communities and the city, supporting the local tourism economy.
Street Light Funding
- The mayor highlighted $3.5 million in federal funding secured by Congress members Peters and Vargas to replace outdated series-circuit street light wiring in Pacific Beach, Point Loma, and Logan Heights. The investment will bring approximately 200 street lights back online and improve long-term reliability. The city’s street light system currently suffers from series-circuit failures where one outage can cause a whole string to go dark.
State of Balboa Park
- Mayor Gloria delivered a dedicated “State of Balboa Park” speech at the San Diego Natural History Museum on May 24, 2023 (referenced in the June 14 meeting). He reported that the park was named one of the top ten public parks in the U.S. by USA Today. He outlined numerous completed and ongoing projects, including the Palisades plaza restoration, renovation of the Botanical Building (scheduled for completion in early 2024), repaving of Park Boulevard and President’s Way, and new parking spaces. Funding sources included state and federal grants, private philanthropy, and city funds. The mayor announced a new “Prioritization Framework” planning effort to determine future park investments. He also recognized the work of Forever Balboa Park, which has raised over $17 million in private philanthropy in five years. The mayor presented the first-ever “Key to Balboa Park” to longtime volunteer and advocate Betty Peabody. Councilmember Whitburn proposed an unsafe camping ordinance to address encampments in the park, with two temporary safe-sleeping sites to be opened on the park’s edge.
Key Outcomes
- Gas Lamp Promenade Phase 1 completed; permanent daily closure of Fifth Avenue from noon to 2 a.m. begins.
- West Mission Bay Drive Bridge fully open to traffic, relieving congestion and adding wetland mitigation.
- $3.5 million in federal funding allocated to repair approximately 200 street lights in three neighborhoods.
- Botanical Building renovation on track for early 2024 completion.
- New park planning framework (Prioritization Framework) to be launched in the next month.
- Betty Peabody awarded the first Key to Balboa Park.
- Temporary safe-sleeping sites for homeless individuals to be opened on the edge of Balboa Park this year, pending council action on the unsafe camping ordinance.
Meeting Transcript
Medical dispatch report five zero. What is the address in the city of your American? The most rewarding thing is the dynamic. Tell me exactly what happens. Okay, stay on the line, I'm getting an ambulance. It just feels good. We're like, well, I helped that person in their time of need. Listen carefully, and I'll tell you exactly how to do test compression. Place the heel of your hand on the breastbone in the center of his chest. Being there for somebody's the best day of somebody's life is a very rewarding experience. We're going to do this 600 times or in hell help can take over. One, two, three, four. Being able to actually help that person and also calm them during such a crazy and hectic situation is a very rewarding feeling. Is that the fire department with you? Yeah, okay, you can hang up. If you are interested in helping people, and that is something that you're passionate about, this is a great place to work. Good morning, everybody. I'm San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. With me this morning is City Council Member Steven Whitburn. Michael Trimble, the executive director of the Gas Lamp Quarter Association, and Betsy Breddon, the president and CEO of the downtown San Diego Partnership. You see even more people behind me. Let me tell you about some of those superstars. Our chief executive of Chief Operating Officer, Eric Dargan is here, along with the directors of our transportation and mobility sustainability and mobility and uh capital and engineering and capital projects. We have the three superstars of infrastructure in the city, and that is uh Bethany Bizak, uh Ronnie Amon, and uh Lysamuto. Uh Bethany uh sorry, Britney Bailey, who's a part of my government affairs team and who has been a champion of this project for many years now. Uh members of the Gas Lamp Quarter Association, Assistant Police Chief Terrence Charlotte is here, and then you see all those magnificent, incredible, hardworking people in the orange vests. They are the incredible members of our transportation team. These are the folks that are filling potholes, fixing street lights, and on the side creating pedestrian promenades. Guys, thank you so much for what you do. So we are here today to celebrate a major milestone uh in our continued quest to create safe, vibrant uh and walkable public spaces for San Diegans and visitors alike to enjoy. You all know about the success of the Piazza della Familia in Little Italy. You also know how San Diegans and business owners uh alike have gravitated to our outdoor dining uh program known as Spaces is Places, uh which is being used all across our great city. And now today I'm pleased to share with you our latest step in bringing another safe, vibrant, and walkable place right here in the Gas Lamp Quarter. The Gas Lamp Promenade will take the Gas Lamp Quarter and downtown San Diego to the next level. In March, our city's transportation crews began constructing new crosswalks that would allow us to install steel ballers to facilitate the closure of Fifth Avenue to vehicles daily from noon until 2 a.m. or lunchtime until closing time. Basically, prime time in the gas lamp. Uh I'm pleased to announce that these this phase of the promenade project is now complete, and we are now placing ballers at every crosswalk uh on the Fifth Avenue from Broadway down to K Street. Uh when the pandemic struck, uh, we shut uh and local businesses had to shut down. The city worked quickly with the Gas Lamp Quarter Association to support local businesses, restaurants, and bars. Using a special events permit, we closed Fifth Avenue from F Street to K Street at certain times during the week uh to allow for more outdoor dining experiences and to entice people to continue to come to the gas lamp and dine and keep these restaurants and businesses in business. And quite frankly, it worked. It worked really well. People loved it. In fact, multiple national news organizations have reported that our downtown, downtown San Diego, has recovered from the pandemic more quickly and more thoroughly than most other American urban centers. That's good job, guys. And as folks became to come as we start to tackle the pandemic, uh got past the public health orders. People already knew that this was where the place to come and to go, uh, and they've been coming ever since uh in numbers that are very impressive. We want to keep that momentum going. And that's why the city council in April, with the leadership of Council Member Stephen Whitburn, officially designated Fifth Avenue as a slow street, which is allowing us to make this closure day uh permanent and daily.
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