A Poor Risk in North Park

When the San Diego City Council went against the advice of the city manager and decided to spend $905,000 in federal community development funds to purchase the dilapidated North Park Theater, it was betting on a dream of outgoing Councilwoman Gloria McColl that the theater would revive the somewhat tattered North Park business district.

But, if her dream does not come true, the council may have purchased a white elephant.

The theater has major structural problems, which the city manager estimates will cost $1.4 million to repair. And to turn it from a movie theater into a marketable playhouse will cost another $2.3 million. What’s more, little private interest has been shown in operating the theater, and the city manager estimates that the city will be saddled with a continuing annual subsidy of more than $180,000.

The city has learned how difficult it can be to raise money for theater renovation with the Balboa Theater downtown, which the city acquired for $2.5 million and which is estimated to need up to $11 million in repairs. A foundation has been struggling for years to raise that money. So it is surprising that the city would be willing to take on another theater renovation.

Perhaps in recognition of the difficulty in raising private money, the plan for the North Park Theater renovation is to use tax money generated by a proposed redevelopment district. But $4.6 million--for purchase and renovation--is a lot of public money, especially when the theater community has not rallied around this project.

The theater may be a landmark in North Park that McColl and community leaders want to save from demolition. And we often support such preservation efforts.

But this project seems like a greater risk than the old theater merits. The council should reconsider its decision and look for surer ways to help North Park.