BRIGHTENING UP FOR THE SEASON

S.D. nonprofit for businesses expands its holiday decorating to include dozens of downtown residential streets

Dost Kittani’s morning work commute is a bit more festive nowadays.

The downtown resident, who coowns Coffee & Talk on Sixth Avenue, described the once bustling business area where workers filled high-rises before the pandemic as a haunted ghost town now. His coffee shop is nearly empty at lunchtime these days, he said.

But some holiday decorations recently installed along downtown streets are bringing a little life back to the area, he said.

“It’s something positive that brings joy to the neighborhood,” Kittani said.

Employees with the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a nonprofit that represents nearly 400 businesses in the area, spent this week wrapping garlands and twinkling lights around light posts and planting fresh poinsettias in planters throughout downtown.

The organization decorates downtown business streets every year, but this year it partnered with other neighborhood groups to expand the holiday décor to residential areas.

Alonso Vivas, executive director of the nonprofit’s Clean & Safe program, said the hope is to bring some cheer to residents, many of whom have been stuck working from home since March.

“This is by far the largest scale ... we’ve never done it this large,” Vivas said. “We felt it was the right timing

just with all the stuff in 2020.”

The decorations spread from downtown business

areas to the Gaslamp, City Center, Marina and Columbia neighborhoods. The nonprofit’s landscaping employees planted nearly 400 red and yellow poinsettias for the “placemaking” project. The

Downtown San Diego Partnership oversees other placemaking projects year-round to improve the pedestrian experience downtown and attract more visitors to the neighborhoods, Vivas said.

Residents have been responding positively to the holiday decorations, said Sarah Czarnecki Brothers, marketing and communications director for the nonprofit.

“We hear anecdotal stories from workers of people saying, ‘thank you for doing this,’” she said.

Downtown resident Fran Pillersdorf saw the poinsettias Monday while on an afternoon walk. She said neighborhoods like Little Italy do a great job of decorating for the holidays, and it was nice to see that same spirit on her block.

“I think it’s great that the partnership is trying to brighten up our streets and make it more festive,” Pillersdorf said.

The decorations will stay up until mid-January.

NELVIN C. CEPEDA U-T PHOTOS Jorge Barragan, with Downtown San Diego Partnership, adds fresh poinsettia plants last week to the existing large garden boxes throughout the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego.

The nonprofit group’s plan calls for nearly 400 poinsettia plants to be added throughout downtown.