market creek plaza timeline

8/14/2019 Market Creek Plaza Timeline

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September 2005


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3/24

September 2005

The development of Market Creek Plaza is the story of a journey into uncharted territory.

It is a story about taking big risks and about breaking new ground together. It is also the

story of a journey that changed each one of us personally and dramatically altered the way

we do business.

It was through this journey that we learned the importance of residents owning their own

change owning the plans, owning the implementation, and ultimately owning the assets.

As we struggled to understand our role, we discovered the great creativity that comes

from their love for and working knowledge of their own neighborhoods. This ownership

is how vision is born, skills are built, and value is created that benefits them.

Late in 1997, after nearly ten years of making grants, we realized that in order to

address the interconnectedness of issues in our neighborhoods we would need to narrow

our focus, move our offices, and put ourselves in a direct learning relationship with a

neighborhood. We had to give up any preconceived ideas about what people needed

and about what foundations do and ask people what changes they wanted to see and

how they wanted to go about it. Resident Teams became our vehicle for learning and

planning, and an abandoned factory site became our training ground. It would become

Market Creek Plaza.

This month we have come to the end of an era a milestone that seems like the end of

an epic adventure. Rising from the dust of the old Langley factory, Market Creek Plaza has

become a thriving commercial and cultural hub. We have developed strong relationships,

replaced blight with opportunity, created jobs, and seated the vision of economic

possibilities. We have celebrated culture and honored diversity. We have embraced risk,

dusted off hurt and challenge, and reached out to be the change we want to see.

Before we embark on the next phase of this journey, its important to pull off the road and

celebrate this major milestone. The following pages capture key memories and provide a

record of accomplishments along the way. I hope you will savor the significant moments,

pause on the faces of our new friends and neighbors, and remember the rich conversations

that have guided us this far.

Everyone we have met and everything we have done will help carry us to the next

milestone in our journey.

Jennifer S. Vanica

President and CEO

Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation


4/24

4


5/24

5

JCNI

initiatesescrow

onthe

Langleyprope

rty

JCNI

workswith

localorganizations

toformacommunity

outreachteam

AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

OutreachTeam

conducts

firstresidentneedss

urvey

Surveyingexpandsto

localbusinesses

Community

focusgro

upsmeet

toconfirm

priorityn

eeds

They came to our home,

knocked on the door, came

to our community meetings,

and told us what they would

like to do and asked us whatwe would like to see here.

Ardelle Matthews

Community Team Member

They told me they were going

to do a project at the old Langley

site. I got very excited because

when I was here in 1964 Langley

was an eyesore and continued to

be an eyesore. I thought anyone

that could come in and do

something would be welcome,

so I committed then to help.

Mike McCraw

California Southern

It was the first opportunity we had as a neighborhood

to go out and ask, or to have someone ask us, what we

wanted here. It wasnt just We will build it and they will

come. At first a lot of people didnt know how real the

question was because a lot of people had come here to

make money and take it out. I came to see they were

really trying and I knew they needed help because they

didnt know the community and this is a very difficult

community to get to know.

Kelly Steppe


JUNE

Board

meetsatTubma

n-Chavez

MulticulturalCenter

andhasfirst

discussionaboutbuy

ingLangley

property

acrossthes

treet


6/24

6

When someone comes to share with us by purchasing 19 acres

of land to build in our community, I dont take it lightly. To me that

is significant. It is a milestone for us.

George Stevens

Former City Councilman

FEBRUARY MAY JUNE

ArtandDesign

Teamlaunches

first

seriesofworksh

ops

JCNI

closesescrowon

theLangley

property

Jacobs

Centerhead

quarters

movestothe

neighb

orhood

ResidentsvotetoselectMarketCreek

Plazaasprojectnam

e

Jacobs

Centerhosts

first

communityopenho

use

Art&DesignTeamo

rganizesfirst

inaseriesofworksh

opstobring

togetherartandarch

itecture

JCNI

invitesresident

stom

eetin

throughoutthecom

munity

toreview

siteplan

We filled an entire table with

textiles and, not long after, analmost magical thing happened.

Everyone in the room was

looking at the table and

became very quiet. We all saw

consistency in the brightness

of color, the patterns, the

textures. You couldnt tell one

cultures textiles from another,

because they had so many

common characteristics. It

showed us how we are more

alike than different.

Victor Ochoa


There is so much in this neighborhood to be proud of. There is

so much here in terms of culture and richness its just incredible.

And we are so fortunate to be able to come here and join you.

Valerie Jacobs Hapke

Jacobs Foundations

Its wonderful to gather here in the new home of the Jacobs

Center. Theres a lot we can learn by doing together. Sometimes

we get in a box and we dont know how to get out. Opportunity

is knocking at our door, telling us to get out of the box and to

make something very special happen in this community. I am happy

that someone has come into our community and embraced its the

strength and the beauty. Were coming together to make something

really happen.

Doris Anderson

Elementary Institute of Science


7/24

7

DECEMBERSEPTEMBER OCTOBERJULY

OutreachTeam

organizesEthnic

Nightstolearnab

outdifferentcultures

JCNI

partnerswithcommunity

organizations

toform

Constructio

nCollaboration

ResidentsturnLang

leyfactory

intohauntedhouse

forHalloween

toopentheproperty

tothe

community

The

community

gatherstokick

off

demolitioninitiate

dbyViJacobs

behind

thewheelofahydra

ulictrackhoe

Communitycontrac

tors

completedemolitio

n

oftheoldfactory

Thanks, everyone, for coming

to Ethnic Night. We will share

our Pacific Islander culture and

come together as one. Look at

the races in this room, all

different people, and were all

having a good time together.

Agnes Tuifao


JoeJacobsurgesresid

entsto

takeownershipoft

heproject

andputthefoundat

ion

outofbusiness

This is a project in which we give nothing

in the way of dollars. We give everything

in the way of spirit and support and faith

in the people in this community. This is our

project to do together. There are going to

be a lot of disagreements, there are going

to be a lot of misunderstandings, but we

pledge to you to work together. Hopefully,

a couple of years from now, when we look

at this great project thats now illustrated

in pen and ink, we will see it in real bricks

and mortar with people milling around

in safety and in pleasure and enjoying

themselves while spending their hard-

earned dollars in this community. We will

put the profits back into the community

that generated those profits, and whenwere all done, hopefully, the thing well

get out of it is your trust and friendship.

Joe Jacobs

Jacobs Foundations

It was so much fun, well have to do this more often!

Vi Jacobs

Jacobs Foundations


8/24


9/24

9

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

SanDiegoCity

Councilapproves

MarketCreekPlaza

GeneralPlanAmendment

Childcare

Team

surveysresidents

toidentifychildcare

needs

Residentsandteam

sconstructCultural

Villageaspartofco

mmunity

festivities

Teamshostmulticult

ural

UnityNightevent

One of the lessons we all learned was how

important it is to just stay at the table and

work and work and work until you know you

got it right. We went through lots and lots of

drawings and renderings and concepts untilwe finally knew we had it right

Jennifer Vanica

Jacobs Foundations

We are hands-on. We dont just stand

back and watch. If you havent been part

of it, join us. We want your voice. Speak

up. This is your project. Rich multicultural

traditions and customs are the founda-

tion of our strength as a community.

Meg Jacobs

Board Member

"In all, 10 teams involving over 1,000

community residents formed to help JCNI

ensure that every part of the project

reflects the imprint of the community."

Norm Hapke

Board Member

Graffitiartistspartne

rwith

Art&

Design

Team

incommunityw

orkshopsand

formGraffCreekTeam

Residentsblessthec

learedLangley

site

inpreparationforgro

undbreaking

andconstruction


10/24

10

JANUARY MARCH MAY

Localemergingcon

tractorsbegin

grading

andsiteprep

aration

The

callforanOwne

rshipDesignTeam

attractsmorethan

125residents

OwnershipDesignTe

amusesNativeAmerican

theory

ofthirdsto

breakintothreeteams:

DiamondCommuni

tyInvestors,Neighborhood

Unity

Foundation,an

dFinancialLiteracy

The Market Creek Plaza ownership piece is about

more than investment. Its about owning a piece of

your community and valuing where you live and

who you are.

Kelly Steppe


I have lived in this area my

whole life, and working on

this project makes me feel

like Im contributing to the

community. I am taking an

active role in rebuilding

this area.

Monique Santos

Contractor Trainee

With classroom and on-the-

job training, we have had

many doors opened to us

that were closed before.

Steve Groves

Community Contractor

JCNI

spins

offDiamo

ndManagement,Inc.

asatrainingorganiz

ationfor

construction,business

development,

andleasing

I wanted to be on the

Ownership Design Team

because Ive never invested

before, and it sounded like

something that would be

beneficial to me. I wanted

to let my neighbors know

about it too.

Bevelynn Bravo



11/24


12/24

12

JANUARY MARCHFEBRUARY MAY

Food4

Lessopensi

tsdoorswith

91%

ofitsemployees

hired

from

theneighborhood

Teamsandresidents

flocktothePlazato

celebrate

Food4Les

sopeningandenjoy

localentertainment

intheAm

phitheater

Residentteamcoordi

nates

communitytalentse

archtoline

upfirstAmphitheate

rentertainm

ent

JCNI

launchesNeighborhood

Coordinatorstrainin

gprogram

Market

CreekPartne

rs,LLCisconceived

asthe

structureforJ

CNItoown

the

Plazainpartnership

withresidents

Im so happy to be here today

to be part of a dream no longer

deferred. This is just the beginningWe told people to hang around, and

look here it is today, I will continue

with that message in the same vein

hang around and watch what

you will see

Willie Blair

Congressman Filners office

A lot of big talent has come from this

part of San Diego and there is a lot of

talent out there now. The amphitheater

at Market Creek Plaza offers them a great

stage and built-in audience.

Floyd Smith

Community Resident

It brings life to the community. For us to

be able to shop in our neighborhood makes

me so excited I can hardly speak.

Billie Carter

Community Resident

You can tell the

Amphitheater is going

to be beautiful when its

complete. It will really

enhance the neighbor-

hood. Weve needed

this for years.

Kelly ScottCommunity Resident

MarketCreekPartne

rs,LLCdrafts

first

operatingagreem

ents


13/24

1

OCTOBERSEPTEMBERJUNE

California

Southern

launchesa$1million

loanpoolfor

Market

CreekPlazaentrepreneurs

The

GraffCreekTeam

adoptsthename

WriterzBlok

tobetterreflectitsmission

andopenbusinesse

s

WellsFargoBankcre

atesworkinglines

ofcreditforMarketC

reekPlazaconstruction

Business&LeasingTe

amdesignspercentage

rentsstrategytohel

pentrepreneursthrough

earlystagesofgrowth

Taggers are now artists.

Youth are now going to college.

Families of different ethnic

groups are working together

and finding their own solutions

in the neighborhood. People are

changing inside and out.

Bevelynn Bravo

Community Team Members

Everybody thats involved with us sees us as a

very strong family unit. Being involved with the

work here proves to us that anything is possible

as long as you do your part.

Marcus Tufono

Writerz Blok

One of the things that is so

exciting about the Plaza is the

Amphitheater. Once something

like that is operable it will bring

other things that are missing, like

art, culture, and entertainment.

We can have something to offer

to visitors from outside the city.

Come to the Diamond. We can

do this.

Steve HayesCommunity Resident

Market Creek Plaza will continue to be a tremendous resource

for this neighborhood. Wells Fargo is excited to contribute to

the strength of this community by providing a banking service

it truly deserves. Wendell French

Wells Fargo Bank

Site

split

intotwosep

aratelots,

facilitatingfinancing

andfundraising

To my knowledge, what were

doing here doesnt exist anywhere

else and the pressure to succeed

is enormous.

Mike McCraw

California Southern

OwnershipTeamsub

mitspioneering

IPOrequesttoCalifo

rnia

DepartmentofCorp

oration s

DECEMBER


14/24

14

MARCHJANUARY

SempraEnergysigns

lease

for

SDG

&EHigh-TechCe

nter,embracing

SpiritofPartnership

ConstructionCollab

oration

completes

firstpha

seofthe

contractortraining

program

ResourceTeam

visits

W

allStreetto

talktootherfoundat

ionsabout

MarketCreekPlaza

JUNE

SnappersFish

&ChipsandBessies

SouthernSpoon(lat

erchangedto

Magnolias)

complete

businessesplan

This year was about building trusting relationships

with local entrepreneurs. It was about how to support

them, how to bring their sense of readiness in line with

our sense of their readiness. It was about getting the

leasing strategy lined up with the business develop-

ment strategy and the business development and

leasing strategies lined with the access-to-capital

strategy. The rents, the common area costs, the loan

rates, the principle and interest payments, the tenant

improvement and cash management strategies all had

to coordinate and intersect. We were not prepared for

the depth and breadth of expertise needed or the

amount of time it would take.

Jennifer Vanica

Jacobs Foundations

This is a wonderful

opportunity for contractors

who normally wouldnt have

the opportunity to work on

a multi-million dollar project.

The whole goal is to prepare

participants for the next big

job, to be competitive, to go

to work and

be successful.

Rickey Laster



15/24


16/24

16

MAY JANUARY JULY

SDG&E

opensitsH

igh-TechC

enter,

thefirsttenantinb

uilding5

CommunityFacesp

ortraitsare

unveiledata

ceremo

nyrecognizing

thehonoreesandartis

ts

CurvesforWomen,M

arket

CreekPlazasfirstco

mmunity-

ownedfranchise,ope

ns

The word is out. People are saying,

Go to Market Creek Plaza. They have

a Curves there. Its exciting.

Shelly Lamberth

Entrepreneur

The response I got from my

customers my first day was

wonderful. I got nothing but good

comments about the food, so I feel

confident that my neighbors will

like what they find at Snappers.

Basil MuhammadEntrepreneur

The new SDG&E

service center is drawing

people from all over.

Customers love it here.

People like using the

high-tech machines and

have told me it is nice to

have one of the most

modern stores right in

their community.

Noreen Woods

SDG&E

Art&DesignTeamho

stsfirstin

aseries

ofchildrensw

orkshops

tocreate

tilesforthe

SempraChildrensWa

ll

This project honors the contributions

and commitments of 27 of southeast-

ern San Diegos citizens. Their portraits

were painted by 12 of the communitys

finest artists and the whole project was

documented by a group of young

people who illustrate that the future

of this community is very bright

Maria Velasquez

KFMB TV News Reporter

SnappersFish

&Chips,

ownedbythefirstco

mmunity

entrepreneur,opens

forbusiness

JUNE

Market

CreekPlazaY

outhTeam

pilotssumm

erprogra

m


17/24

17

NOVEMBEROCTOBERSEPTEMBER DECEMBER

The

firstMarket

CreekPlazaPRI,

fromF.B.HeronFound

ation,

closesfor$500,000

Art&DesignTeamc

ompletes

the

AfricanBatiktiletape

stryinthe

palm

garden

The

secondMarketC

reekPlazaPRI,from

RockefellerFoundati

on,closesfor$1million

WheretheWorldM

eetsopens

with21communitye

ntrepreneurs

Tileinstallationoft

he

SempraChildrensW

allbegins

Weve learned that power comes when

people are truly involved, take responsi-

bility for their communities, and commit

themselves long-term to changing them.

Darren Walker

The Rockefeller Foundation

Its really an awesome, wonderful

privilege to express the needs of this

community to large foundations and

have them respond so positively. They

realize that they can broaden their

approach and touch more lives by

partnering with us.

Ardelle Matthews


Where the World Meets is a statement of the

beautiful people, the beautiful talent, and the beautiful

cultures that make this community what it is.

Ron Cummings

Jacobs Foundation

To truly understand this project, you have to see it and

hear from the people who did it. Foundations, developers,

and public agencies need to come here to see they cant

do it by themselves. They need the residents to guide themon what to do and how to do it.

Sam Mason



18/24

18

JUNEFEBRUARY

Artists

completeSe

mpraChildrens

WallnearAmphithea

terwith

1,300

tilescreatedbylocalc

hildren

ClearinghouseCDFI

,California

Southern,andWells

FargoBank

come

togetheratac

ommunity

eventtofinalize$15

million

NewMarket

TaxCred

itLoan

AUGUST

BusinessMattersop

ensto

supportlocalbusines

ses

This is the quintessential project supported

by Clearinghouse and New Market Tax

Credits in the country. It is a wonderful

story to tell. The communitys support of

this project, from its inception through

opening, has done much to mitigate the risk.

Doug Bystry

Clearinghouse CDFI

The SEMPRA Childrens Art Wall gave us an excellent opportunity to teach

our youth about the ecosystem of Chollas Creek, which runs through our

community. Teaching them about giving back to their community and using

their artistic skills to communicate important messages to others is an

investment for us all.

Jean Cornwell

Community Artist

The development community is beginning

to understand what is happening here.

Carolyn Smith

Southeastern Economic

Development Corporation (SEDC)

Market

CreekPlaza

Merchants

Associationformed

Market

CreekPlaza

YouthTeam

establishesteencen

ter


19/24

19

NOVEMBER

Magnoliasopens,bec

oming

second

anchortenantatMa

rketCreekPlaza

NeighborhoodUnit

yFoundation

seatsitsboardatan

initiation

ceremony

The

community

gathersin

tributetoDr.Jacobs

Artists

completeLa

otion

TileWalkway

Magnolias is going to be a nice place with good food

and great service a place people will want to come

and just sit and talk with friends and family.

Bessie Johnson

Entrepreneur

Dr. Joe shared our dream of having a place that felt like

home. He gave us the confidence and the skills to make

us believe our dreams can come true.

Blair Chapman

Elementary Institute of Science

I have a 12-year-old son. Leadership

is what he needs, and thats a challenge.

I have to lead him in the right direction.I think that taking leadership on the

NUF board will give me some qualities

for being a leader.

Kathy Davis

Neighborhood Unity Foundation Team

Communication, unity,

togetherness, openness,

collaboration, and involve-ment thats what taking

leadership in Neighborhood

Unity Foundation is about.

Charlene Smith

Neighborhood Unity

Foundation Team

OwnershipTeamresu

bmitsIPO

applicationtoCalifor

nia

DepartmentofCorp

orations

The

thirdMarketCree

kPlazaPRI,

from

LeglerBenboug

hFoundation,

closesfor$500,000


20/24

20

FEBRUARYJANUARY

Starbucks,MarketCre

ekPlazas

firstpadbuildingan

datop-10

priority,opens

MARCH

MarketCreekPlaza

sponsorsactivities

insupportofHeritag

eDayinpartnership

withothercommun

itygroups

WellsFargoBank,an

earlypartner

inMarketCreekPlaz

adevelopment,opens

APRIL

The

nationalconferen

ceoftheCouncilon

Foundationsmeets

inSanDiegoandvisits

MarketCreekPlaza

PolicyLinkreleasesca

sestudyonresident

engagementatMarke

tCreekPlaza

Our goal is simple: to reach

out to all urban communities

and supply them with the best cup of coffee of their lives.

This is a store of the community. The staff here is from the

community and about the community, and this Starbucks

UCO store is too. Were going to support this communityin a big way and we want residents to know were going to

be here for a long time.

Earvin Magic Johnson

Starbucks Urban Coffee Opportunities

Market Creek Plaza has become a

pilgrimage. The work the residents have

done here is amazing. To get involved

and stay involved, to bring a project

through completion, and approaching it

from many facets, is virtually unheard of.San Diego Daily Transcript

The

MarketCreekPl

azaInvestm

ent

AdvisoryBoardlaun

cheswith

its13members


21/24

2

AUGUSTJULY

ColdStoneopenswi

thastrongcommitment

tolocalhiring

The

AmphitheaterTe

ampilotsa

series

ofprograms

tolearnaboutallphases

ofoperationandprod

uction

The

Annie

E.CaseyFo

undations$1million

commitmentcompl

etesphase

1ofthe

PRIcampaign

ElPolloGrillopens

El Pollo Grill is looking for-

ward to having a new store in

this great location and serving a

whole new group of customers.

We are excited to be a part of

the Plaza and play a role in its

success. With technical assis-

tance in business, construction,

marketing, and access to capital,

this store can be a model forexpansion to other locations.

Victor Lopez

Entrepreneur

The music sounded great in this really beautiful venue. It

was a lot of fun to be part of and see so many folks come

out, sit on the grass, and enjoy this great place in our

community. I remember when I was on the Market Creek

Plaza Youth Team talking about making this happen.

Willie Green

Community Resident

We at Cold Stone want you to know how

privileged we feel to be a part of this project

and how excited we are for the future of

Market Creek Plaza. Cold Stone is a

community-based business. This area,

like other unincorporated parts of the city, is

more community-oriented and we are excited

to be part of it.

Damon Goldstein

Entrepreneur

Community

artistcompletes

ElPollo

Grill

dome,the

firstMarket

CreekPlaza

indoorartinstallatio

n

SEPTEMBER

MarketCreekPlaza

fullyleased

andoperationalwit

h177

new

jobs

Market

CreekPlazaA

mbassadors

Program

initiated

MarketCreekPlaza

ChildcareTeam

establishesresourceo

ffice


22/24


23/24


24/24

market creek plaza timeline

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