Thirteen blocks of C Street in downtown San Diego will be getting a desperately-needed facelift in the next couple of months. Uneven shrubbery will become uniform, hazardous pedestrian walkways will become safer and local businesses that were once obstructed by an odd assortment of broken planters will soon become visible. Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), working on behalf of the San Diego Redevelopment Agency, initiated a two-month revitalization project to improve the safety and aesthetics of C Street between State Street and 11th Avenue. The goal of the project is to attract business activity, facilitate the safe flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and encourage private development in the area. The $284,000 project, funded by the downtown redevelopment property tax increment, will include installing brighter, more energy efficient lighting; improving and widening the sidewalk; repairing broken gutters and curbs; and replacing overgrown and mismatched plants with low-lying, drought tolerant ones. “The upgrades will make the area easier to police, improve the walking experience and increase the visibility of storefronts,” said Jennifer Davies, a spokeswoman for CCDC. The project is expected to be completed by January. Clean & Safe, downtown’s property and business improvement district, will maintain the landscape and irrigation in the area. C Street connects the Columbia neighborhood to the west and downtown’s Core neighborhood to the east via San Diego Trolley’s Orange and Blue lines. The Civic Center and Fifth Avenue stations provide outlets to popular locations such as San Diego City Hall, San Diego Civic Theatre and the Gaslamp Quarter. The street is also only one block away from the Santa Fe Depot, downtown’s main trolley and Amtrak station. The area is already a hub for transportation. However, CCDC envisions a broader revitalization to make the C Street corridor from India Street to Park Boulevard safer for pedestrians, more conducive to private development and business, and more efficient for trolley riders. “The grand vision is to make it an important civic corridor for transportation and commerce,” Davies said, naming the current project “a step toward a larger plan for C Street.” CCDC is working with San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) on the Trolley Renewal Project, which particularly focuses on repairing the nearly 30-year-old Blue and Orange lines, which are worn well beyond their expected use. The project includes installing low-floor trolleys, tracks and station platforms; replacing old rail and overhead wire; and improving switching, signaling and crossovers. The complete overhaul of transportation and pedestrian traffic flow, according to MTS’s Trolley Renewal Project, is expected to be completed by 2015. For information about MTS’s Trolley Renewal Project and construction calendar, including construction alerts and trolley detours, visit www.sdmts.com/trolleyrenewal.asp.