SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's been 14 years in the making and ground has officially been broken for the Pride Promenade in Hillcrest.
It's a project funded by the City of San Diego and overseen by the San Diego Association of Governments or SANDAG. It will convert Normal Street from University and Lincoln Avenues into a pedestrian promenade and rainbow-colored bikeway.
Mayor Todd Gloria, city councilors and leaders in the LGBTQ community broke ground Sunday on the promenade.
"We really want to create a destination here in Hillcrest and this is going to become one of San Diego's great spaces. So by creating a place that draws people in and broadcasts what we are about in Hillcrest, we are really benefiting everybody," said Benjamin Nicholls, the executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, sharing how the project is another exciting step forward into making Hillcrest a vibrant neighborhood.
The project is just shy of $30 million and a big chunk of that funding comes from parking meters.
Gloria is excited to see this vision become reality.
"It is my good luck that I get to be mayor when some of these projects are coming into fruition after many many years and in some cases, many decades of hard work by elected and community leaders," said Gloria.
Leif Gensert lives in North Park but bikes to Hillcrest for groceries, so his commute just got a whole lot safer.
"I love that we have pedestrian infrastructure right in the heart of Hillcrest, more bike lanes, and I think it's going to be great especially for events like the farmer's market that's happening every Sunday," said Leif.
If you don't bike like Leif, there's still plenty for you to do.
"We are planning a daily activity roster," said Nicholls. "We're going to obviously have the farmer's market on Sundays, but every day we're going to have activities from movie nights to yappy hours, bring your dog down and enjoy the space. There's going to be a whole roster of activities. We're also working on a plan to allow folks to get married in this space, or have private parties. This is going to be an active and energetic space."
And it's only fitting that space had an equally energetic kickoff event.
"It was just great vibes all around," said Leif.
The promenade will also have a children's play area, new historic lampposts, seating and shade structures.
