Businesses are hopeful the new plaza will bring in more business through foot traffic, but others are worried about finding parking.
Fifth Avenue from Broadway to K Street in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter will now be a pedestrian plaza from noon to 2 a.m. each day.
While driving and parking along the seven-block stretch is prohibited during those times, it is allowed on the cross streets.
The effort is an attempt to attract more people to the Gaslamp Quarter.
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“This is a positive boon for business, having the promenade closed for 12 hours will encourage more people to come down, it will be safer, and people will have more room to enjoy the Gaslamp,” Executive Director at The Gaslamp Quarter Association Michael Trimble said.
The excitement is being seen by business owners and operators.
“It creates more traffic for our business and people walking in the streets more comfortable,” General Manager at Karina’s Cantina Gaslamp said.
However, parking is a concern for some people.
“It’s a pretty big hassle having to drive to find somewhere to park that is actually legal to park, obviously we don’t want to get a ticket or be towed because that would be a hassle,” Paisley Baird said.
Others say there’s a plethora of parking in and around the Gaslamp Quarter.
“There are over 3,000 spaces within walking distance of the Gaslamp quarter so really there’s a lot of parking. They did not eliminate that much parking on Fifth Avenue, under 30 spaces were relocated onto Fourth and the other side streets,” Trimble said.
Some people believe the new measure will not only lead to an uptick in business but solve a longstanding problem.
“So, the 20% vacancy rate that we have, I look to see that going down quite a bit,” Trimble said.
The City of San Diego is working on a few issues with this new promenade, such as whether to allow pedal-operated vehicles in that area.
