Tired of seeing spots of gum on sidewalks in Pacific Beach? Not too thrilled about trash in front of your house because you live just a little too close to a nightly hotspot?
Several property owners have an idea that promises to keep the heavily trafficked parts of Pacific Beach clean, attractive and safe.
The formation of a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) for the western end of Pacific Beach would have both commercial and residential property owners pay a fee for services such as daily trash pickup and a few extra police during weekend nights.
“If people want to improve PB in a similar way as Little Italy has been fixed up or Santa Monica has been fixed up or Huntington Beach, this is how you do it,” said Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach, which represents more than 1,000 businesses in the area.
If approved by a majority of affected property owners, the program would generate about $475,000 annually to pay for trash pickup, monthly power washing of the sidewalk, better looking trashcans and other services, according to the plan.
The amount an individual owner pays depends on size of the property, location and how many benefits the area receives.
For example, a property owner on Garnet Avenue would pay more for power washing of the sidewalks, landscape maintenance and extra police. A hotel on Mission Boulevard would pay for “security ambassadors” along the boardwalk. The ambassadors would educate beachgoers about any potential laws they may violate and report on graffiti or other security problems.
The more people the property serve also increases the rate.
Some owners of mostly residential property at the tail ends of the area would pay less, Nicholls said.
Nicholls said the City Council should vote on the proposed district at the end of May to send ballots out to property owners, with the results of the vote released about 45 days later.
Business and property owners’ opinions range over the potential program.
George Rotgans is a 30-year property owner who operates PB Foreign Auto, 1727 Garnet Ave. Though his garage is a few blocks outside the proposed coverage area, he said he wouldn’t oppose a program in his area. He said every business should be responsible for its own area outside the business.
“Mainly the trash is all by the bars,” Rotgans said. “Most businesses clean their areas otherwise.”
Several bar owners along Garnet Avenue routinely pay for power washing of sidewalks outside their places.
P.J. Lamont owns and operates Bareback Grill, 4640 Mission Blvd. He said his and others’ rent might increase unless owners “absorb” the total cost of the fee.
“I don’t know if I’d necessarily want to be forced into paying X amount per square foot without knowing exactly where it’s going to and how much is going to each specific [service],” he said. “That’s where it gets shaky,”
Because the fee is assessed to owners and Lamont doesn’t own the property, he can’t vote on the program. He said he’s definitely going to be involved in the process.
“If it’s going to be mandated, they need to have some serious checks and balances,” Lamont said.
But not all business and property owners are so open to the idea. Some owners already pay a fee to the city for services as part of their business license.
“Where does the money go? Why don’t they maintain it now, because we already pay the money [and] we don’t see it,” said John Gelastopoulos, owner of Broken Yolk Café, 1851 Garnet Ave.
The fee would also be levied on residents in affected areas.
Pacific Beach Neighborhood Watch organizer Marcella Teran lives at the tail end of the proposed district along Oliver Street about three blocks away from the bar scene.
Teran said the trash, generated mostly from the bars, is an eyesore.
“We need to put the responsibility on the bar owners rather than put another tax on residents,” she said.
Teran said a better idea would be to put regulations in place that require bar owners to clean up alleys around their establishments before imposing a fee on everyone.
For more information on Discover Pacific Beach,, visit www.pacificbeach.org or call (858) 273-3303.