A new study says it will cost significantly 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 spots.
City officials and downtown merchants say those upgrades are needed to transform the promenade into a regional attraction that could bolster downtown and help San Diego land more conventions.
The promenade, which was created one year ago by closing seven blocks of Fifth Avenue to vehicular traffic for 14 hours a day, is being called a moderate success that has made the area more pedestrian-friendly and lively.
But the Gaslamp still suffers from a rash of retail and restaurant vacancies, especially in the northern blocks toward Broadway. And while the area is lively late at night, large chunks of it are nearly empty during afternoon and evening hours.
The promenade, which stretches from Broadway to K Street, also hasn’t fulfilled some of the goals envisioned when the idea was first proposed in 2019.
Those include broadening the Gaslamp area’s appeal to visitors beyond tourists staying downtown and reclaiming the area and nearby blocks from growing homeless populations.
Downtown merchants 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 great, but we need curb appeal and shady spots,” said Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association.
Trimble said he’d also like to see designated performance spaces, places for yoga, art installations, rules for buskers and many other features. He said the pavement should also be replaced by decorative stone pavers.
“We want to soften the feel of asphalt,” he said.
Officials in the city’s Sustainability and Mobility Department also want changes to the promenade. They say the area should appeal to a “larger audience” and become a unique experience within San Diego.
Sustainability and mobility officials have suggested encouraging small development in the street and on sidewalks, and allowing restaurant seating to extend significantly into the public right of way. 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 promenade idea 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 envisioned features at $65 million — about $20 million more than previous estimates.
Trimble, who met with Gloria this month about the study and is scheduled to meet with him again next month, said the high cost could be a major hurdle for a city with significant budget problems.
“The city and the mayor are committed to this, but it’s unclear when it could happen,” Trimble said. “But the feasibility study is the road map the city needs.”
Gloria declined requests to comment this week. City spokesperson Nicole Darling said “the city is still evaluating next steps and funding opportunities.”
The project seems likely to be eligible for a wide variety of grants.
Similar public space projects in Hillcrest, Escondido and other local communities have been awarded large grants by the county’s regional planning agency, the San Diego Association of Governments.
And last year, the city received a “Safe Streets for All” federal grant to develop slow streets, where vehicular traffic is removed from existing roads to make them safer and more inviting to pedestrians, cyclists, skaters and others.
Supporters of the Gaslamp Promenade say that even if most or some of the costs can’t be covered by grants, city officials should step up because it would be a wise investment.
“The Gaslamp Quarter goes hand-in-hand with securing conventions,” Trimble said.
The Gaslamp is typically a large part of what people attending conventions experience of San Diego, so Trimble said it makes sense to upgrade that experience.
In addition, he said following through on the full vision for the promenade would likely spur significant private investment in the Gaslamp from developers of restaurants, shops and housing.
The new study presents two main options that cost roughly the same.
One option would narrow the roadway of Fifth Avenue from 44 feet to 26 feet and widen sidewalks to fill the extra space. The other option would eliminate sidewalks and make the entire street one flat level.
In both scenarios, car travel 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 promenade from K Street south to L Street and Harbor Drive. That could create problems with access to hotels and Petco Park, but it would connect the promenade directly to the convention center.
Trimble said another key goal is making the Gaslamp whole by focusing attention on the northern blocks between F Street and Broadway.
The study suggests a second “Gaslamp Quarter” arch across Fifth Avenue between E Street and Broadway. Trimble said that arch is estimated to cost $800,000, eight times as much as 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 spaces, including on Fifth Avenue, during the early stages of the pandemic.
City officials then began temporarily closing mid-block vehicle lanes to allow more outdoor gathering spaces and better pedestrian mobility.
From July 2020 through June 2023, different parts of Fifth Avenue were closed to car and pedicab traffic during various hours five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday.
In July 2023, the city expanded the promenade to seven days a week, expanded the hours to noon to 2 a.m. and replaced makeshift bike-rack barricades with more functional bollards.
The timing allows deliveries to businesses between 2 a.m. and noon, which Trimble said has worked well in most cases. But he said there have been some circulation problems on nearby blocks that officials are trying to solve.
Trimble’s 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.