Since moving his business downtown two decades ago, Bill Keller has had a front row seat during the area’s redevelopment. Keller has also had a hand in the process, being a former member of the Gaslamp Quarter Association and as current chairman of the Centre City Advisory Committee (CCAC). “You (now) have the energy of a European-style city or some of the older American cities, which is a surprise to see in downtown San Diego,” Keller said. “It’s been great to be a part of it.” Keller owns Le Travel Store, a luggage and travel accessories store at 745 Fourth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter – a location he has been at since 1994. From 1985 to 1994, the store was located in Horton Plaza, and it was started in Pacific Beach in 1976. “Back when we were planning to move to Horton Plaza, the very specific thought that occurred to us was ‘I wonder if downtown San Diego will become more like a European city – a lively pedestrian activated community.’” Keller said. “That is exactly what happened.” A San Diego native, Keller has seen the complete downtown transformation, from primarily government and business hub to an area that is now home to offices, retail and residents. “Through the ’60s and into the ’70s, downtown was sort of deteriorating. We had this fabulous piece of land, but it was going nowhere fast,” Keller said. “You had the court system and office buildings and very few people living downtown.” As for cities that San Diego should aspire to, Keller points to Barcelona. He said that if downtown continues to move forward in the next century, it could be similar to Barcelona in terms of worldwide cachet. “When you look at cities that have redeveloped, (Barcelona) was really down on its luck and a little gritty and grimy and just transformed itself through a bold vision,” Keller said. “It is now a huge brand name in the world because of the way it was redeveloped.” Keller has spent eight years on CCAC, downtown’s 28-member community planning board, including being chairman for the past year. Among recent projects the committee has provided input on are the fountain near the Tin Fish restaurant on Fifth Avenue, and revitalization of the children’s park on Harbor Drive. “We represent the communities that are already here, expressing what they did or didn’t like about the project, really with an effort to make it better,” Keller said. “Unlike in a lot of other parts of San Diego, we are pro growth and pro density. We don’t see density as a negative thing.” Keller also serves on the Downtown Parking Management Group (DPMG), the official community parking advisory committee to CCDC and City Council. DPMG has been experimenting with possible parking solutions in pilot zones that make up a total of 15 percent of downtown. “The biggest problem in downtown is the underutilization of the parking,” Keller said. “What we have is a mismatch between the parking regulations that we have and how it’s actually being used downtown.” Keller’s personal solution to improving the parking situation downtown is to enforce parking from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. – three hours later – on Fridays and Saturdays. He said this method still keeps 60 hours of weekly enforcement. “That would be applying parking enforcement when you need it, creating more turnover on Friday and Saturday nights so people can find parking, and giving people a break in the morning,” Keller said. “We’re (currently) beginning enforcement when we don’t need it and ending it when we still need it.”