Latest news with #StarlightBowl
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City selects new operator for long-closed Village Grill eatery in Balboa Park
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The owners behind one of the most popular restaurants in Balboa Park and a storied neighborhood brew pub in Normal Heights have been tapped by the city to revive the park's shuttered fast dining option, the Village Grill. Jeff Motch and Clea Hantman, co-owners of Panama 66 in the San Diego Museum of Art and Blind Lady Ale House in Normal Heights, were announced Friday as the bidder selected to bring the window near the Spanish Village back to life. According to the city, the two pitched creating a fast-casual restaurant concept in the space that 'fosters a sense of community and gathering' on top of the food itself. San Diego Air and Space Museum offering free admission for kids ''We are excited to work with Jeff and Clea to develop an eatery that best serves the park and its visitors,' said Economic Development Director Christina Bibler in a release. 'Creating a vibrant restaurant in Balboa Park can come with unique complexities, but given their successful background and excitement for the project, we're confident it will become a beloved destination in the park,' she continued. Now that their proposal has been picked, the city says they will turn to negotiating lease terms and design process. Prior to its closure in 2017, the Village Grill had been a staple of Balboa Park since its construction in 1973. Throughout its lifespan, the building had never undergone a major renovation, only a series of repairs, the last of which was in 2012. Revitalization of derelict landmarks in the park — like the Village Grill — was a focal point of Mayor Todd Gloria's second State of Balboa Park address last year. Kehlani, Kim Petras to headline San Diego Pride Festival In the speech, which came ahead of the reopening of the Botanical Building following its years-long closure for renovation, he promised to pursue similar projects for these parts of the park in disrepair to bring it up to modern standards and ensure its long-term vitality. To that end, the city says it is currently in negotiations to lease out one of the other attractions Gloria mentioned in his speech, the Starlight Bowl. The negotiations began back in February with the group, Save Starlight. The historic Marston House, located on the northwestern corner of the park, is also undergoing a major restoration project funded by a grant from the State of California, according to the city. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Burbank's Starlight Bowl cancels summer events due to damage suffered in wind storm
The Starlight Bowl in Burbank has announced that they will not hold any of their scheduled summer events due to the damage the venue received during January's powerful windstorm. "Our community was incredibly fortunate in the face of the recent LA County environmental disasters, but we are taking the substantial wind damage to the Starlight Bowl as an opportunity to reinvest in our public assets," said a statement from Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez. "We will not only renovate but create a new and improved Starlight Bowl." City officials are still assessing the extent of the damage and outlining the necessary repairs that will be made in coming months. In the meantime, they're planning to move their 2025 summer events to other venues throughout the city. That includes the annual Fourth of July celebration. "While I am deeply disappointed that this year's programming will not take place at the Bowl, I look forward to the future where the venue is renovated, revitalized, and safe for generations to come," Perez's statement said. The news comes just before the venue was slated to host events on their 75th anniversary, after opening back in 1950. It seats 2,800 people with room for 1,000 more spectators on the property's lawn. January's windstorm wreaked havoc across Los Angeles County as it fueled the rapidly moving Eaton and Palisades fires, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed over two dozen people.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Progress slows on effort to renew Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park
Watch Dan Plante's report for KUSI in the player above. SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — The city of San Diego's push to revitalize the long-defunct Starlight Bowl amphitheater in Balboa Park seems to have slowed down yet again. Months after submitting a proposal to lease and restore the 3,600-seat theater, one of the groups who has been leading the charge to breathe new life into the storied venue, Save Starlight, say they have yet to hear anything back from city officials. Steve Stopper, a former audio designer at the Starlight Bowl and CEO of the nonprofit, says they are ready to go with financial backers, an operating plan and even a line-up of events for the space once it reopens — whenever that will be. San Diego Restaurant Week deals: Where to dine 'We're ready to go to say the least,' Stopper said. 'We have supporters ready to go, we've been doing this a long time.' The return of the 90-year-old Starlight Bowl, which went dark more than a decade ago after its operator filed for bankruptcy, has been teased a handful of times over the years. New hope was instilled in organizers like Stopper last year, when Mayor Todd Gloria announced during his second State of Balboa Park address the city would formally consider proposals to renovate the theater — and another shuttered landmark in the park, the Village Grill. Potential lessees had until mid-November to submit a formal proposal to get the amphitheater back up and running. Since then, Save Starlight says there has been radio silence. Museum Month returns to San Diego; includes cultural sites in Tijuana At the same time, local officials have hit the brakes on other ambitious beautification projects, such as the civic center redevelopment, as the city contends with a $252 million structural budget deficit. Save Starlight says it can take on the millions of dollars in needed repairs at the Starlight Bowl to restore the venue to its former world-class glory without needing any funds directly from the city given partnerships with Sycuan Casino and other philanthropists. 'The Starlight Bowl will be an entertainment hub for our community. That's going to be music, that's going to be powwows, that's going to be speeches, that's going to be graduations,' said Carlton Overstreet Jr., another organizer with Save Starlight. 'But first, we need to open.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
