A historic first step was taken by Midway merchants to reform a long-dormant business improvement district (BID) as interested parties held their first meeting Sept. 24 at the Hampton Inn San Diego-SeaWorld/Airport area hotel.
Spearheaded by Hampton Inn general manager Victor Ravago, turnout was low, but morale was high for that first meeting.
Local merchants, community planners and Rachel Gregg, a community representative from California’s 78th District Speaker of the Assembly Toni Atkins’ office, met to discuss reassembling a broadly representative merchants group.
“We need a real collective voice for the Midway area,” said Ravago, noting the new group may look to local government officials to “find out what assistance we can get” in rebooting the BID.
Ravago noted local legislators’ offices may also prove useful in attempting to secure some “development dollars to invest in revitalizing the area.”
Aesthetics is just one area that needs to be addressed in the Midway District, which is characterized by high traffic volumes along Rosecrans Avenue and Sports Arena Boulevard.
Midway-Pacific Highway Corridor is a hodgepodge of commercial, industrial, office and warehouse land uses, plus limited residential, in a transitional area bordering Old Town, Point Loma, Pacific Beach and downtown San Diego.
A BID is a defined area, within which businesses pay an additional tax or levy to fund projects within the district’s boundaries for public improvement.
On its website at www.Midwaybid.org, the new Midway BID said its goal is to “unify the businesses within the Midway/North Bay Area to work toward the goal of economically revitalizing the Midway District. Our efforts will include marketing programs, civic beautification projects, commercial recruitment and parking and transportation improvements. ”
On Sept. 24, it was mentioned that the Midway area is poorly lit and that there are also numerous opportunities “to add greenery.” Midway is currently involved in updating its community plan seeking to make it more current, and to create a sense of identity for the community, which adjoins several other areas and is one of the first places visitors see leaving Lindbergh Field. “With the (airport) rental facility going in right now it’s really a gateway,” said Kathy Denton, a Midway merchant and member of the Midway Planning Group.
Ravago pointed out the task of reactivating the business group is made easier by the fact that the “entity is still there with the city,” despite the fact that’s it’s been inactive for several years.
Ravago said reconstituting the Midway BID is a simple matter of hosting three consecutive meetings of prospective group members before asking the City Countil to “reinstate the BID in aformal capacity.”
“After that, we’ll be able to work on beautification and cleanup efforts, as well as homeless isues in the area,” Ravago said.
“It’s a very significant problem,” said Denton of homelessness in the Midway area, adding efforts elsewhere in the city to address homelessness tend to displace it elsewhere to places like Midway.
Fledgling Midway BID members also agreed that the recently closed Midway Postal Office could prove invaluable in redevelopment, bringing new business and a fresh perspective to the area.
It was also brought out at the Midway BID formation meeting that there is $50,000 in unused funds held over from the previous BID for the new group being formed to work with.
Ravago suggested it also might behoove the group to link with other civic organizations, like the Point Loma Association (PLA), which have a long history of, and experience with, community improvement.
Denton said the sports arena site with its numerous tenants will be a cornerstone of any type of redevelopment going on in the area.
“Everything hinges on the sports arena and what ultimately happens around there,” she said.