What happened to the Gaslamp promenade?

4 weeks ago 1

A rarely discussed casualty of San Diego voters rejecting a sales tax hike in 2024 is the Gaslamp Promenade, a much-hailed pedestrian area that was abruptly eliminated a year ago and now faces a murky future.

There’s general consensus among downtown merchants and city officials that a plaza in the seven-block stretch of Fifth Avenue has the potential to transform the sagging Gaslamp into a vibrant regional destination tourists rave about — especially if long-planned upgrades like performance spaces get added.

But the preliminary phase was considered only a modest success, the planned upgrades would cost an estimated $65 million, and the cash-strapped city has no money to revive even the bare-bones version anytime soon.

“This is a project with tremendous merit, but the financial deck is stacked against it for now,” Mayor Todd Gloria said last week. “Our city is facing a significant financial challenge and we have to prioritize our needs.”