In 2006 the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association (HBIA) recognized that the City of San Diego lacked the fiscal resources to maintain our neighborhood services and began to create a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) to keep the core of our neighborhood cleaned up. The Hillcrest Clean TEAM filled in for 15 months in between.
Property owners within the designated MAD area voted to pay self-imposed assessment fees to underwrite the project. Look forward to having the sidewalks swept and pressure washed, tree maintenance, graffiti removal and more security. Worker Gonzalo Cota (right) enjoys his new job and says cigarette butts are what he picks up most…“hundreds, no — thousands” he says.
The MAD area covers most of the storefront area from Pennsylvania to Washington Street and from First to Sixth Avenue. After MAD’s success is visible, it’s hoped that other sections of Hillcrest will petition the HBIA for boundary extentions.
