Thank you, Mission Hills!
By Dixie Hall, President Mission Hills Business Improvement District
On behalf of the Mission Hills Business Improvement District (BID), it is fitting to start 2023 with a hearty thank you to our local businesses for all you did during the holidays and continue to do throughout the year. You set the bar for small businesses that attract a regional clientele. And equally as important, we thank all the residents and visitors for your support of our businesses. It is this unofficial “partnership” that makes Mission Hills the enduring, engaging and enjoyable community it is. I wish you all a most healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!
Speaking of partnerships, thanks to the collaboration between US Bank Mission Hills, the BID, businesses and residents in Mission Hills, we collected 278 new unwrapped toys in Toys for Tots collection boxes from November 21 through December 13. The collection ensured a happier holiday than what might have been for a large number of children. This year was the first time a communitywide Toys for Tots collection took place in Mission Hills. In a neighborhood with so much, the Mission Hills BID is already looking forward to 2023 Toys for Tots Mission Hills – slated to be several weeks longer— to help make Christmas a happy occasion for children who may otherwise not enjoy a visit from Santa. Special thanks to Thorn Brewing Company, Lewis Fay Kitchen Collective, State Farm Insurance, Backbone Floral, L’Atelier, Mission Hills Nursery, US Bank and DixiePops for staging a collection box at their business. And, thank you to volunteer Daniel Reynolds, master chief petty officer in the United States Navy who secured, delivered and returned the Toys for Tots collection boxes and toys for us.
The BID’s Annual Strategic Planning Workshop is in the works for January 18. We will gather to plan how we may best enhance the growth and improvement of Mission Hills businesses and combat deterioration through our work in the Washington Street Maintenance Assessment District. If you have ideas to share, please send them to MissionHillsBID@gmail.com and join us at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18.
Though not well known, the Washington Street Maintenance Assessment District was formed in 1993 by a vote of Mission Hills’ commercial and residential property owners, is supported by an annual property tax assessment of approximately $24, is administered and managed by the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department and has a community advisory committee chaired by Mission Hills resident Stephen Shushan. Each year the Mission Hills BID elects two representatives to serve on the Washington Street Maintenance Assessment District community advisory committee, alongside other community based organization representatives from Mission Hills Garden Club, Mission Hills Heritage, and Mission Hills Town Council to advise on maintenance beyond those provided by the City of San Diego along Goldfinch Street between Fort Stockton Drive and West University Avenue and on West Washington Street between Hawk Street and Albatross Street. The hard work of this volunteer community advisory committee provides benches, trash bins, sidewalk power washing, and tree planting and maintenance in this public area.
As we approach the deadline for submitting this article, the San Diego County Fair has reached out to invite us to again take part in their community banner program. This program was disbanded in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to closures and uncertainty created by the COVID pandemic. The theme in 2023 is “Get Out There” and will explore the great outdoors. We are optimistic that we will be able to offer 72 banner opportunities and showcase Mission Hills’ business owners on banners with photos taken by a professional photographer provided by the Fair. Look for details on our website and on Facebook as this is a popular opportunity that has sold out each year.
Mission Hills is a community abundant in talent and resources. We would love to have more community members involved with the Mission Hills BID. So, please consider how you might become more involved in 2023.
Category: Business, Events, Historical, Holidays, Local News, Nonprofit, Restaurants
