horton plaza to become more street-friendly

(source: creative commons)


you'd hardly even know there was a mall as you pass by it on 4th ave downtown - there's just a narrow entry to horton plaza by the recently-renovated balboa theater. meanwhile there's a huge entryway to the massive parking garage (speaking of which, how great is the self-validation for parking there now? no more long walks to longs to get your pack of gum and validation stamp.) the approach from broadway isn't much better - the small park is a homeless hangout with a lonely irving gill-designed fountain. next to that is a pedestrian-unfriendly parking circle tucked behind the nbc building. in fact all sides of the entire mall are car-oriented, with few storefronts facing the street - back when horton plaza was built, it had to be somewhat sealed off from the then-scary neighborhood around it to attract customers and tenants. yet for a place that started downtown san diego's revitalization, it still follows the car-focused design of suburban malls.

well it sounds like things are about to change, finally. san diego business journal reports that come november, a more urban street-shopping experience makeover will get underway, with changes to the balboa theater entrance, the park, and more stores at sidewalk level. if the park is on the way out, i hope they can find a place for the fountain somewhere... how about in the revamped city hall plaza? meanwhile, get rid of the traffic circle and turn that entire area behind the nbc building into an outdoor eating spot with food vendors. there's plenty of lunch-time walkup traffic for that.

interestingly, the source for the story is from "local government circles" rather than the owner (westfield) itself. would be great to get some more details from them on this one.