Focusing on the Big Picture

By Jorge Casuso

March 30 -- Asked to look at the “big picture” for Downtown, Bayside District board members last week focused not on lofty visions, but on the down-to earth, literally keeping their eyes firmly on the street.

Maintaining a healthy business mix, bringing more cultural venues and updating the aging movie theaters all are important, board members agreed. But more crucial is fixing and cleaning the streets and alleys and making sure they are safe.

“Not only are we not doing anything new, but what we have is getting old,” said board chair John Warfel, who suggested the brainstorming session held by the board last Thursday.

One after the other, Bayside officials all mentioned the need to upgrade the Promenade, which they said looks tired and shabby when compared to sparkling new competitors, such as the Grove in Los Angeles.

“The Promenade has to get control of common areas, the maintenance, vagrancy, safety,” said Board member Henry Lichtman. “I think the alleys are a bigger issue than we’re making.

“The alleyways are the front door. It’s the first thing people see,” Lichtman added. “Perception of safety and cleanliness will make or break us.”

Board member Rob Rader agreed. “You have to be clean and safe,” he said. “It’s a sophisticated marketplace… Perception issues often cause more challenges than reality.”

“It’s important for the Promenade to always look fresh,” said Board member Bill Tucker. “The Promenade looks tired. We need to reinvest.”

Board members also worried about the persistent presence of the homeless Downtown, saying little has changed since the City approved ordinances last fall banning sitting and lying in Downtown doorways and handing out free meals in parks without City and County permits.

“The number one problem is vagrancy,” said Board member Bill Tucker. “We have, if nothing else, a perception problem. Families are starting to stay away, also adults. It’s getting out of hand.”

Board member Ruth Elwell listed “vagrancy” as the Bayside’s top problem. “You can’t have a Downtown district with unruly behavior,” she said.

While everyone seemed to agree that the presence of transients was a problem, some board members worried that the funkinesss that is one of the Third Street Promenade’s biggest draws is being whitewashed with faceless chain stores that threaten to make the thriving strip indistinguishable from suburban shopping malls.

“The proliferation of chain stores is what people are concerned about,” Rader said. “There’s no reason to come to our unique area if there is nothing unique. We are becoming undifferentiated.”

The Bayside should push those things that give the Promenade its competitive edge, said Board member Art Harris.

“We have become largely a venue for younger people,” Harris said. “Maybe that’s what we should be focusing on, that edginess that people with strollers may not want but young people do.”

“The cookie-cutter malls are not for everyone,” said Vice chair Wally Marks. “The Promenade has the edginess of an urban zone.”

“The Grove and Paseo (in Pasadena) are so sterile and in lockstep that they’re unpleasant,” said Board member Patricia Hoffman. “I’m concerned about too many chain stores. I care a lot about how the environment feels, the texture, the smells, the sounds.”

Some board members said it was time for reckoning.

“What are we offering people?” said Board member Ann Greenspun, who added that there was a place for corporate chains in the mix.

“Do we have a cultural center that might draw people?” she said “How do we package ourselves with the pier and Santa Monica Place?”

Board member Marvin Zeidler suggested the Bayside could boost business with “more original promotions for the Promenade, annual events that attract national attention.”

While it may not be hard to spot the problems, Bayside officials warned that fixing them won’t be easy when the cash-strapped City is facing a budget shortfall of as much as $16 million.

“We have a huge hurdle in the process itself to get something done,” said Kathleen Rawson, the Bayside’s executive director. “It’s a very, very serious problem with the lack of capital. The trouble is that the funds won’t be there.”

Board members floated ideas to raise revenues, including placing advertising directories in the public parking structures, increasing the rates paid by vending cart operators and lifting the caps on assessments so that large businesses pay more than small operators.

The City also needs to more aggressively collect the money that is due, Warfel said. He noted that one business owner had not received an assessment bill in three years.