Pensacola Official Gets Gaslamp Directorship

San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter Council on Wednesday announced the selection of Larry Monserrate of Florida as its new executive director.

Monserrate, 44, who currently is director of Pensacola’s Downtown Improvement Board, which oversees development in an area similar to the Gaslamp Quarter, was selected from a field of 38 candidates. He will begin his San Diego job late next month and be paid $50,000 to $55,000 a year.

“I haven’t discussed in detail any of the Gaslamp Quarter’s goals, but I would think that in general people there want the region to further identify with the district and integrate it more with the neighborhoods,” Monserrate said in a telephone interview from Pensacola. “The Gaslamp Quarter is very similar to the area I manage now . . . which has historical significance and is related to the tourist industry.”

His perception of the Gaslamp Quarter and downtown San Diego is that “it’s an area going through a transition . . . but there are some landmark developments there, such as Horton Plaza and Seaport Village, that bode well for the future.”

Monserrate’s selection was made by the Gaslamp Quarter Council’s board of directors, which had narrowed the field of candidates to Monserrate and Barry Getzel, vice president of development services for Mooney-Lettieri & Associates of San Diego.

“Board members felt that Monserrate’s experience in the development field and his knowledge of historical preservation, redevelopment and the financial issues involved--many of which currently face the Gaslamp Quarter--made him the prime candidate for the position,” said Judi Carroll, chairman of the Gaslamp Quarter Council board.

The historic Gaslamp Quarter covers 16 1/2 blocks downtown and is marked by turn-of-the-century buildings. The Gaslamp Quarter Council is attempting to change the character of the district from one of run-down bars, peep shows and X-rated movie houses to a neighborhood geared toward tourists and conventioneers.

The quarter’s executive director is in charge of promoting the district and working with property owners, developers, merchants and San Diego City Hall to help maintain and rejuvenate the area.

Monserrate, who is single and a pilot in the Marine Reserves, succeeds Art Skolnik, who resigned late last year and returned to Seattle. In addition to his experience in Pensacola, where he has worked since October, 1984, Monserrate has worked extensively on urban development matters.

He was project manager for three years with a private development company in Pensacola. Before that, he worked as a community planning and development specialist with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington. Monserrate was also a lobbyist for the Florida Community Development Assn. in Tallahassee, and served as director of housing and community development for Pensacola from 1975 to May, 1979.