What People Are Misunderstanding: 
Some are claiming that Pride Promenade in Hillcrest is a “pet project” of mine that is diverting money away from essential neighborhood services. 
 

What’s True: 
Pride Promenade does not use General Fund dollars — the part of the City budget that pays for libraries, parks, public safety, and other core neighborhood services. 
 

The project is funded primarily through local and regional transportation dollars as well as state grant allocation. These funds are legally restricted and cannot be used to pay for City services, even in a tight budget year. They can only be spent on mobility, transportation, and street improvement projects — exactly what Pride Promenade is. 
 

Approved by the City in 2018, this project has also been in development for years and has been requested by the Hillcrest community since their 1988 Community Plan, shaped through community input and funded well before the current budget shortfall. The City cannot redirect these dollars to other uses, even if it wanted to. 
 

Some confusion has come from timing. Construction began in January 2025 during a difficult budget year, which led some people to assume the project is competing with neighborhood services. It isn’t. 
 

Here’s More Context: 
Pride Promenade will convert a neglected section of Normal Street into a safer, more welcoming public space with better lighting, landscaping, walkability, and accessibility. It supports Hillcrest residents, local businesses, community events, and regional mobility goals. 
 

The project is also fixing decades of aging infrastructure, including adding over 40 parking spaces to the neighborhood, 3,000 feet of new stormwater lines, replacing poor soils underground, addressing flooding issues around Lake Hillcrest that occur during winter storms, adding new historic streetlights and shade structures, and repaving sections of University Avenue and Normal Street. 
 

Yes, Pride Promenade plays an important role in connecting bike routes from Downtown to Hillcrest, North Park, and Mid-City communities. It also supports the City’s Climate Action Plan through the planting of 150 new trees, creates new gathering spaces for families with a playground and street-front dining areas, and will feature public art installations throughout the corridor. 
 

The project will activate what is currently an underutilized space, supporting local businesses and generating economic activity by hosting community events, farmers markets, movie nights, weddings, and other neighborhood programming. 
 

Not only that, the Hillcrest community itself will maintain Pride Promenade through the Maintenance Assessment District — not the City’s General Fund. Having a thriving city means investing in quality public spaces, and that is exactly what this project is designed to do. 
 

What This Means for You: 
Pride Promenade is moving forward without taking money away from essential City services. It is built with restricted local and regional transportation funding that cannot be used for regular city operations – things like libraries, parks, or public safety. 
 

When completed, Pride Promenade will function as a year-round community gathering space for the weekly Hillcrest Farmers Market, festivals, Pride celebrations, family activities, outdoor movies, public art, bike events, weddings, performances, and neighborhood programming while also improving safety, mobility, climate resilience, and critical infrastructure in Hillcrest. 
 

More information about City budgeting and project funding can be found here.