The Gaslamp Quarter Promenade is an area of Fifth Avenue that is car-free for over 12 hours each day.
San Diegans and tourists enjoy the promenade, which stretches from Broadway to K street along Fifth Avenue. It was proposed in 2019, and the first phase was implemented in 2023.
“First phase would be closing the street completely using the bollards. Phase two would be more on the beautification side, redeveloping the street, and so we’ve completed phase one as of last year, and then the city is moving into phase two,” Michael Trimble, the executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said.
Trimble said pavers should be included in phase two of the project along with amenities along the promenade. Many businesses along the promenade welcome changes to continue developing it.
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“I think it’s genius," Netzah Garcia, the assistant general manager at American Junkie, said. "I think particularly because we are right in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, it’s going to be great for the businesses because it’s going to be more inviting."
The city of San Diego worked with an independent company to conduct a feasibility study. The study shows that the plans being discussed could cost a substantial amount of money.
“Obviously, that was quite a large price tag. It was about $65 million dollars in that study, which has gone up quite a bit from 2019,” Trimble said.
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The investment will be worth it, according to business owners and managers NBC 7 spoke with.
“The sooner the better, I think,” David Ashumov, art consultant at Exclusive Collections Gallery, said.
