The toned-down alternative for Pacific Beach’s Block Party, the Pacific Beach Street Fair, was officially denied a permit for this year by the city after months of community controversy.
In a letter signed by the city’s chief executive officer, Ronnie Froman, the denial was based on the lack of community support, threat to private property and the inability for the city to provide adequate police protection amid 11 other community festivals taking place that same weekend of April 22.
Organizers of the event are mulling over whether or not to appeal the decision, but the City Council committee that would hear that appeal isn’t available to hear an appeal until April 19, just three days before the event’s scheduled date.
It is the first time the city has denied a special events permit.
“The city is being really responsive to the community and I’m pretty happy about that,” said Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach.
District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer said the opposition of all three major community groups and councils to the revised street fair was a major factor in the failure to gain consensus and permitting.
“The event needed to be revamped, but you needed community buy-in and that just wasn’t able to occur,” he said.
Just last week, the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) voted 69-46 to oppose this year’s PB Block Party, recently renamed the Pacific Beach Street Fair, at its March 15 meeting at Pacific Beach Middle School.