The vision aimed to revitalize the dining and entertainment district by transforming a seven block stretch along Fifth Avenue into a popular pedestrian destination.

 “The Gaslamp Promenade will take the Gaslamp Quarter and Downtown San Diego to the next level,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a press conference in 2023 as he shared his vision for the Gaslamp Quarter Promenade.

It included turning 5th Avenue into a pedestrian friendly and dynamic destination.

“I wasn’t expecting to see cars on 5th,” Michael Dew said.

The last time Michael Dew was in the Gaslamp District, bollards were up and the street was open to pedestrians.

“Will the promenade vision return?” Dew asked.

That’s the question many San Diegans have, including business owners like Ruth-Ann Thorn, who owns Exclusive Collections Gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter.

“I find it to be really alarming when we’ve spent millions of dollars to look into a project and do the feasibility studies, get the designs made and then all of the sudden is cancelled,” Thorn said.

In 2024, Thorn acquired the Yuma building, next door to the gallery, after hearing  about the Promenade development.

She said the bollards gave many business owners the impression Mayor Gloria’s vision was coming to fruition.

“And then, all of the sudden, they disappeared…and so big disappointment not only for me, but also for my neighbors,” Thorn said.

Thorn said the city needs to support small businesses and she would like to see more money from the city’s budget go back to investing in neighborhoods like Gaslamp Quarter.

“It’s just not fair, when we are working really hard to keep business open, the money that we actually collect, that 7.75 percent, a percentage of that should go to our neighborhoods, not be exported to other neighborhoods,” Thorn said.

Michael Dew said he would like to see the vision come back.

“There’s a lot of longstanding businesses like this establishment and across the street and others that would benefit from just having foot traffic,” Dew said.

NBC 7 reached out to the mayor’s office for comment and has not heard back.

Last January, the city notified the Gaslamp Quarter Association that it would no longer support operations.

We also reached out to Michael Trimble, Executive Director of the Gaslamp Quarter and are awaiting a response.