Correction: The city of San Diego’s official timeline for the Hillcrest promenade project includes a completion date of 2027. There has been no delay to push back the end of construction from this year to next, officials say.
There were discussions to create a promenade on Normal Street in Hillcrest as early as 2015. When construction finally began in 2025, some locals expected fast action, claiming it would be done by the beginning of this year’s San Diego Pride festivities, on July 11.
But the finish date was always expected to be 2027, city officials say.
The Pride Promenade aims to transform Normal Street into a community hub with a rainbow bike lane, new art and landscaping, an improved stormwater system, more public seating and a playground. The playground will be part of Hillcrest’s first public park.
In addition, it includes a Pride Plaza around the Hillcrest Pride Flag, which has often been the community gathering spot for vigils, protests and festivities. Once completed, that gathering area will be enclosed without encroachment from car traffic.
While the full project — the promenade, bikeway, plaza and associated underground stormwater infrastructure — is scheduled for completion next year, city and SANDAG officials hope the promenade component itself could be finished and open to the public as early as this fall.
Brittany Bailey, the government affairs and grants program manager for Mayor Todd Gloria’s office, has worked on the Normal Street Promenade project since 2017.
Bailey said that the Pride Promenade is meant to be an inclusive space where everyone is accepted.
“We tried to demonstrate that and put specific design elements to make folks feel at home and to communicate that message,” Bailey said.
In the meantime, the Spirit of Stonewall Rally, which officials had hoped would happen at the promenade on July 17, will shift about a mile west.
“That Pride promenade is not ready yet for Pride celebrations this year, but we are excited to have secured a new location to host the Stonewall Rally right across the street from the Brass Rail on the other side of Hillcrest,” said KishaLynn Elliott, executive director of San Diego Pride.
Hillcrest Business Association Executive Director Benjamin Nicholls, whose office overlooks the promenade, explained that construction has taken longer because of the infrastructure that crews found underground, like old street car lines and pipes.
Nicholls said he understood that nobody likes construction, but that people are looking forward to a new public space that is LGBTQ+ oriented.
“This space really has a huge amount of community buy-in,” Nicholls said.
The project is jointly funded by the city and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The estimated cost was nearly $28 million.
Once finished, it will cost about $600,000 a year to manage the promenade, according to Nicholls. The community will have to fundraise to pay for it, which Nicholls says will be a challenge.
“The city is like, ‘Okay, we’ll build your park, but you’ve got to maintain it,’” Nicholls said.
Three teams of University of San Diego students from the Knauss Business School identified different ways to cover the cost of maintaining the promenade.
The community has bought into the Normal Street Promenade through years of fundraising and advocacy. LGBTQ+ people and allies also bought bricks, to be installed at Pride Plaza, to cover expenses there.
Bailey said that she wants the promenade to be a comfortable space for people of all ages to walk, bike and hang out.
“This is the heart of Hillcrest and the heart of our community,” Bailey said.
Updated July 1, 2026
