Happy 4th of July Mission Hills!
by Krista Lombardi, Lombardi Team at Scott and Quinn Real Estate
We thank Patty Ducey-Brooks for the generosity of space and the ongoing opportunity to share our business voice through the Presidio Sentinel. This month marks the Mission Hills Business Improvement District (BID) monthly column’s third year in this newspaper.
Congratulations to John Bertsch and his staff at Meshuggah Shack for the recent honor of having been selected State Senator Toni Atkins’ 2017 Mission Hills small business honoree. The BID boasts more than 500 small businesses within its boundaries and knows each of you has a choice on where to locate your business. Thank you for choosing Mission Hills!
As you may know, the BID exists as a partnership with the City of San Diego governed by an elected board of directors working through five active committees. The committees include 1.) Promotions Committee, 2.) Economic Development Committee, 3.) Design Committee, 4.) Parking Advisory Committee, and 5.) Executive Committee. The committees meet the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 3 p.m. at the Mission Hills United Methodist Church in the Church Parlor, located at 4044 Lark Street. Lively discussions occur at the committee level as ideas are introduced and vetted. The third Wednesday of each month the discussions continue and action is taken in the form of voting. Business owners’ and residents’ ideas and opinions are important as the BID puts ideas into action.
Over the last two years the Mission Hills Parking Advisory Committee and the Mission Hills BID Design Committee have been considering the conditions along Reynard Way. As the concern for Reynard Way parking, traffic calming, and alternative transportation modality safety rose to the forefront of discussions at the committee level, action was taken to request a formal study take place. The Uptown Community Parking District approved the study budget and the request for proposal received the required five responses in May 2017. The study contract was awarded to KTUA, a planning and landscape architecture firm whose president is Michael Singleton. KTUA’s work is underway and the Reynard Way Community Kick-off Meeting has been set for Saturday, September 23 beginning at 10 a.m. at The Frame Maker, located at 3102 Reynard Way. At this meeting, KTUA will offer concepts for consideration and feedback. Your participation is encouraged. Please RSVP to MissionHillsBID@gmail.com to let us know you plan to attend.
At the BID’s June board meeting, the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department responded to the BID’s invitation with a presentation on its Storefront Improvement Program (SIP) offerings to small businesses. Also attending at the BID’s invitation were new Mission Hills business owners Valentine Viannay of L’Atelier and Brian Richter of The Bean Counter, who shared their very positive SIP experiences. We have included before-and-after photos of the husband and wife team effort at their businesses, located at 2655 Reynard Way.
The City’s SIP budget beginning July 1, 2018 is $300,000 and is open to small businesses with 25 or fewer employees that are located in the City of San Diego and have a current business tax certificate. The SIP revitalizes building facades visible to customers, neighboring merchants and residents. The City of San Diego provides design assistance and financial incentives to small business owners who wish to make creative change to their storefronts. Eligible improvements include the repair, replacement or new applications of awnings, windows, doors, lighting, paint, landscaping, tile or other decorative material and signs. All applications are subject to review for eligibility. To find out more please visit https://www.sandiego.gov/ economic-development/business/starting/improvement.
See you at this month’s parades, picnic and concerts!
Category: Business, Local News
