Efforts to revitalize a key South Bay corridor took a step forward this weekend with a youth-led graffiti and trash cleanup.
“I'm here to make Broadway beautiful, clean it up so that people get exposed to this beautiful city that I grew up in,” Youth for Change Advocate Montse Urbina told NBC 7.
Young men and women gathered on Saturday through the South Bay chapter of non-profit organization Youth for Change. The program pushes young men and women to invest in their own futures by cleaning up their community.
"I see these people working over here, I believe it's very good. It's good for the city of Chula Vista because we can have more business in the neighborhood,” a local business owner said.
The cleanup came from a partnership with the City of Chula Vista who donated the supplies through their 'Buff-A-Block' program.
"I want to clean it up so people see what a beautiful city it is and all the history behind it," Urbina said.
With the new Bay Front Project moving forward across town, many here in the South Bay fear the Broadway Corridor could slip further into the rear view mirror.
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Their hope is to transform the area into a vibrant business district to attract more shoppers and small business owners.
They said the first step is to make it cleaner and safer.
Through the City of Chula Vista's Graffiti Buff-A-Block program, community residents and groups commit to cleaning up graffiti in a specific, pre-approved location and ensuring it remains clean and free of graffiti by “adopting” the location.
Find the application and more information here.
The City of Chula Vista also plans to build new bike lanes on Broadway as well as traffic signal upgrades to better adjust to real-time traffic conditions.
