On May 8, 2016, the San Diego Union Tribune (
visit link) ran the following story:
"Renewed Horton Plaza Park sparks life downtown
Nearby businesses say they suffered during years of construction
By Phil Diehl | 6:55 p.m. May 7, 2016
SAN DIEGO — Games, dance and music filled the first weekend of downtown’s newly renovated Horton Plaza Park, a $17 million investment that employees of nearby businesses say is the best thing to happen in years.
The new amphitheater at Broadway and Fourth Avenue, outside the colorful Horton Plaza shopping mall, has been under construction since the demolition of buildings on the site began four years ago.
“It’s been a long haul,” said Jeff Bernard, owner of the Palace Jewelry pawnshop on Fourth Avenue for 35 years.
Originally budgeted at $8.5 million, the cost of the project doubled because of construction delays caused by bad weather, site problems, a dock workers’ strike and more. Westfield Corp., which operates the mall, sold the 1.9-acre site to the city with an agreement to operate and manage the park for 25 years.
Westfield’s contract calls for 75 events at the park in its first year, building to 200 events annually. The plaza is intended to be an urban gathering place for residents, workers and tourists.
photo
Peggy Najera and Jacob Najera, 4, of Chula Vista stop to admire the Horton Plaza Park Fountain which has been recently restored. — Misael Virgen
Nearby businesses suffered during the construction, Bernard said. A green fabric wall screened the work site, and potential customers avoided the area because there was little to see or do there. Now, he said, customers are returning.
“It’s nice to see people walking around again, couples, people with dogs,” Bernard said.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer officially rededicated the park in a ceremony Wednesday, kicking off a series of events through the weekend.
A Starbucks coffee shop, a Sloan’s ice cream shop and an ArtsTix booth in the plaza all had steady customers Saturday afternoon. Young people played lawn games nearby. Members of the Malashock dance troupe performed for a sprinkling of guests in the amphitheater. Musical performances were scheduled later in the day.
“It’s a good place to relax ... a place to be with family and friends,” said Hilda Mejia, a San Diego resident watching the dancers with her mother.
Nearby, one of San Diego’s oldest hotels, the U.S. Grant, had a new reason to celebrate.
“It looked like a war zone” during the construction, said hotel concierge Lee Ann Kinkelaar.
Now the faces of hotel guests “light up” when they see the open plaza, she said.
The iconic fountain at the park was dedicated on the same day the U.S. Grant opened — Oct. 15, 1910, she said. Both reflect the Greek-Roman revival architecture of the era. Illuminated by colorful electric lights, the fountain was a high-tech innovation of its day.
Cassie Slagle, a host at Spike Africa’s Fresh Fish Grill and Bar at Fourth and Broadway, said the employees there have been eager for the park to open. A relative newcomer, the restaurant opened less than four years ago with the park’s renovation under way.
“It’s a great place for people to come and enjoy the sunshine of San Diego,” Slagle said. “It’s a good picnic area.”
Some have worried that the plaza could become a gathering place for the city’s large population of homeless people. But others have said they are confident that, with the city’s big financial stake in the project, security there will be tight and effective.
“This city is being groomed and manicured,” said Mike McKnight, a downtown resident who was walking his dog. “I’ve lived here since 1986, and the changes are magnificent.”"