City Council Endorses in Concept Renewal of North Park, Mid-City

The San Diego City Council gave conceptual approval Tuesday to the formation of new redevelopment districts in the North Park and Mid-City areas, despite qualms about the need for such dramatic revitalization efforts.

The council’s 8-0 decision, with Councilwoman Gloria McColl abstaining because she owns property in Mid-City, marks the first of several steps that will be necessary to bring urban renewal to the two neighborhoods.

Before redevelopment can start in those areas, the council will have to decide whether it is willing to appropriate funds to draw up boundaries, conduct environmental reviews and produce redevelopment plans.

The costs for consultants to do such work is estimated at about $250,000. City officials say the money can be tapped from block grant funds already allocated to North Park and the Mid-City areas.

Need Questioned

Some council members voiced concern that redevelopment might not be the panacea for the two areas and questioned if such dramatic steps need to be taken.

“I’m not so sure we have blight here,” Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer said, adding that she was reluctant to approve more funds until she has reviewed previous studies done on the areas.

Councilman Ron Roberts argued that redevelopment cannot always be used as the solution to urban woes.

“We seem to have this blind faith that you put up a few trees, fix the sidewalks and, voila , high-rises sprout from the ground, Gucci shows up and other businesses rush into an area,” Roberts said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

But city staff members insisted that redevelopment is needed to yank the two areas out of the economic doldrums that have plagued them for years.

Moreover, the idea has been received favorably by many community members, city staffers say, winning endorsements from the Route 15 Community Advisory Committee as well as a committee of Mid-City community members studying the redevelopment issue.

The area being eyed for redevelopment in North Park stretches along an eight-block swath sandwiched between El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue. The Mid-City section sprawls mostly east of Interstate 805 from Normal Heights south through Quince Street.

Once prime centers for regional commerce, the Mid-City and North Park commercial areas have in recent years become venues serving simply residents of the immediate neighborhoods, city officials say. Business began to decline as suburban shopping malls sprouted and the downtown blossomed as a regional commercial center, they say.

Efforts Undertaken

Since 1982, the city has undertaken revitalization efforts such as a facade improvement program and business loans, but redevelopment staff members and some community groups say they have not been enough.

In May, 1986, city officials began work on a feasibility study of redevelopment in the Mid-City area, identifying 30 projects.

Currently, redevelopment staff has identified four principal projects that should be spotlighted for activity if the program gets off the ground. They include North Park Center, a regional shopping district that has fallen on hard times, and the University Avenue commercial strip between Euclid Avenue and I-805.

In addition, redevelopment could help subsidize efforts to build a covering structure over I-15, which cuts a noisy swath through the Mid-City area.