Angela Landsberg (Courtesy photo)
Neighborhoods, North Park
‘North Park on the Rise’
‘Angela Landsberg of North Park Main Street Shares Her Latest Scoops’
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Exciting changes are occurring (again) in one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods. Call it North Park’s second renaissance, which follows a reawakening in the neighborhood that occurred some 20 years ago when contemporary restaurants, ambitious beer bars, and earnest clean-up efforts began taking root throughout the area.
Angela Landsberg is the executive director of North Park Main Street, a non-profit organization that played a vital role over the years in turning the neighborhood into an eat-play-and-live destination.
Based on our recent conversation with Landsberg, things in this neck of the woods are only getting better.
Downtown Condo Guys: What is the mission of North Park Main Street?
Landsberg: To support small businesses and the vibrancy of North Park.
Downtown Condo Guys: When was the organization founded?
Landsberg: It started out as a business improvement district back in the late 80s by a group of business owners who would meet in the basement of one of their shops. One of those people, Patrick Edwards of Antique Refinishers, is an original founder and he’s still in business. He was president of the board for many years after the organization got its ‘Main Street’ designation in 1996.
We now have 15 board seats made up of business and property owners. Plus myself, a full-time assistant director, a promotions and marketing person for the farmers market, and two full-time workers as our maintenance crew.
Downtown Condo Guys: In what ways does the organization help small businesses, specifically?
Landsberg: Everything we do, we look at through the lens of asking how we can support small businesses. It could be advocating for policy, bringing people together for mixers, or helping to pay for some of the parklets for outdoor dining areas—all while maintaining a clean and safe environment.
Downtown Condo Guys: Was the organization involved in the development and completion of the new Mini Park located behind The Observatory?
Landsberg: Yes. The board and staff worked with the city to secure funds for its implementation. We formed a non-profit called the North Park Business and Neighborhood Foundation, a non-profit for improving the vitality of the neighborhood through the programming of events at the Mini Park. One of the first fundraisers we did was selling the pavers for the park. That’s finished now, and we raised close to $100,000. A ribbon cutting with Mayor Todd Gloria will be held (from 10 a.m. to noon) on Jan. 16 at the park.
Downtown Condo Guys: Was North Park Main Street also involved with the recent installation of bike lanes along 30th Street?
Landsberg: We had no involvement, which was unfortunate. Although we were asked to weigh in on three different designs, we had requested more parking than what was given.
Downtown Condo Guys: What are some of the latest building projects underway in North Park?
Landsberg: Other than the Mini Park, we have a lot of mixed-use housing coming up—lots of tall buildings with commercial on the bottom and multi-family rentals on the top. And we have the University Avenue Mobility Project, which is a city traffic-calming project using medians on University Avenue, between Boundary and Alabama streets. We will be responsible for maintaining the landscaping of those medians.
Downtown Condo Guys: What new shops and restaurants have recently opened or are in the pipeline for North Park?
Landsberg: Recent restaurant openings include Verbena Kitchen and Hoxton Manor. And we’re about to have a bakery opening any day now, called Patisserie Melanie. There’s also a new fitness place named Barre Studio 3 that just opened.
And, at the northeast corner of 30th and University will be a terrific built-out restaurant with a whole new facade in the next year. It used to be International Discount Fashions and Paris News. The company taking over was just issued their building permits.
Downtown Condo Guys: Name some of North Park Main Street’s greatest accomplishments.
Landsberg: We can point to the incredible flourishing of our commercial district. In the past 10 years, North Park has become a destination to locals and travelers. Numerous articles have been published that refer to North Park as “the place to be”. We’ve helped in the recruitment of new businesses, and we’ve developed a robust ‘Explore North Park’ account on Instagram and our North Park Main Street page on Facebook.
Also, in 2019, we piloted a homeless outreach program that was later adopted city-wide because it did so well. It’s called the Mid-City Homeless Outreach Program. We had partnered with City Heights when launching it.
Downtown Condo Guys: As a resident of North Park, what are your favorite elements about the neighborhood?
Landsberg: The combination of its chic and grit. It still has some original old charm, like North Park Hardware, as well as all the mom-and-pop and contemporary shops. There’s something for everybody, including family-friendly restaurants like Swami’s and Dunedin to upscale restaurants like The Smoking Goat. And there is also the North Park Garage, which allows patrons to park for $1 an hour, so they can walk to the shops and restaurants.
North Park is doing great. This is just the beginning of amazing things to come.
