What was supposed to be downtown San Diego's marquee pedestrian showpiece is now sitting on the sidelines. The Gaslamp Promenade plan to turn Fifth Avenue into a car-free corridor has stalled after the city told the neighborhood association it would no longer pay for daily operations. The steel bollards that once sealed off traffic are largely idle, and business owners who bought into the vision are now wondering what happened to the deal.
The Gaslamp Promenade was pitched as an eight-plaza transformation of Fifth Avenue from Broadway to K Street, turning the strip into a pedestrian-first corridor filled with dining, art and events, according to the Gaslamp Quarter Association. The association and its design partners said from the start that the effort would lean on a mix of state and federal grants, private investment and community-district money. City leaders, including the mayor, and downtown boosters framed the project as a post-pandemic recovery tool and a way to make the urban core more walkable.
City Backs Away From Daily Closures
Last month the city notified the Gaslamp Quarter Association that it would no longer support operations for the bollard program, effectively ending the daily closures of Fifth Avenue, according to NBC 7 San Diego. The association has been waiting for a clear answer on who is supposed to pay for the daily installation, removal and storage of the steel bollards that created the pedestrian corridor.
Merchants Feel Left Holding The Bag
Gallery owner Ruth-Ann Thorn said she bought nearby property partly because it looked like the promenade was finally becoming reality. Now, she is not exactly thrilled with the pause.
“I find it to be really alarming,” she told NBC 7 San Diego.
Other merchants say foot traffic has dipped and that investments they made for a car-free Fifth Avenue suddenly feel shaky. Gaslamp Quarter Association executive director Michael Trimble has said the group is trying to sort out costs and next steps with the city, but for now, the street feels stuck halfway between party zone and loading zone.
The Bill, The Budget And The Blame
The city says the bollard contract came in above what it had told the association it would cover and that the City Council approved $100,000 from Community Parking District funds for Fiscal Year 2025, a mayoral spokesperson told the San Diego Sun. Representatives for the Gaslamp Quarter Association counter that the program cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in fiscal 2024, that the association prepaid some vendor fees and that disputes over reimbursement helped bring everything to a halt.
How Fifth Avenue Got Its Bollards
Permanent steel bollards and a "Slow Street" setup were installed on Fifth Avenue in May 2023 as part of a city push to create safer, walkable plazas and support outdoor dining, the City of San Diego wrote on its blog. The project concept, design materials and letters of support emphasized upgraded public space, streetscape improvements and placemaking, leaving many business owners expecting a long-term shift away from cars.
Promenade In Limbo
The Gaslamp Quarter Association says it is exploring options, including renegotiating contracts and seeking private funding, and has said it advanced some costs up front, the San Diego Sun reported. With the city facing a roughly quarter-billion-dollar structural budget gap, officials have signaled that spending priorities will be tight in the coming fiscal year. Whether municipal support for the promenade returns could depend heavily on those budget calls.
For now, the physical infrastructure and the promised trees, seating and public art are mostly sidelined, and downtown merchants are left wondering if the Gaslamp Promenade will ever fully reclaim Fifth Avenue. The next round of budget talks, along with any new agreement between the city and the Gaslamp Quarter Association, will decide whether the ambitious vision heads back to the street or stays stuck on paper.
