5 Questions for Downtown Association Director Chip

Like many things here, Chip, 42, has to be an only-in-Santa Cruz. He's executive director of the 500-business Downtown Association but not only does he rarely wear a tie, he goes by only one name, except on Facebook, where he is listed as Just Chip.

He came to Santa Cruz in 1987 visiting his mother and misplaced his return bus ticket. His professional travels have taken him from working in hotel management through an ongoing adventure working in the arts as a stage hand, designer, production manager, producer and whatever else was needed to make the show happen.

Chip began with the Downtown Association in 2005 as the promotions coordinator and has served as the executive director for the past three years.

1. The mono-name. How did you come up with it? How do you carry it off so well? I didn't think anyone making less than Madonna could get away with it, let alone someone in such an important public position. Have you gotten any flack for it? I heard a council member during the meeting last week making a joke, the first I'd heard.

CHIP: I started the one-name thing about 25 years ago when I was working primarily in the arts. It was really a way to be different (like everybody else) and I found that people would easily remember me, which was helpful when I was working all over the place in a fairly competitive industry.

Now it's just sorta become part of my "brand". People really want to know what my last name is, only cause they don't. If I had a last name people probably wouldn't be as interested in knowing what it is. If I changed it at this point, it would probably be pretty disappointing.  Though I did just get married and considered taking my wife's last name. But for now I remain Chip.

2. The Downtown Association is coming out strongly in favor of making Pacific Avenue a two-way street. Had this been considered before retail advisor Robert Gibbs made a presentation suggesting it?  Do you really think it would help?

CHIP: I do. Like most people when I first heard the idea I thought it was absurd. But since the idea has come up, I've done a bit of research and it really makes sense, for a lot of reasons. There have been a number of major retailers who have looked at Downtown and were deterred (pun intended) because of the traffic flow.

These types of businesses really have the capacity to understandthe market and they understand how important this is. If this doesn't work for them, why would we make our local merchants work that much harder if we don't have to?

Many people react immediately thinking this will bring more cars and traffic and make it less safe, but many districts are going to two-way, specifically to reduce traffic, and it's working. Besides being good for business, it's good for the neighborhood.

3. Do you have an opinion on getting rid of all traffic from Pacific Avenue and making it a pedestrian mall?

CHIP: I think it's a fun idea, but unfortunately, I don't think Santa Cruz can support it. Statistically, It almost always doesn't work and when it does there are factors at play that we don't have here.

There is not near the density of people here, if there were 20 times as many people coming downtown everyday, I think it would be worth trying. The number one measure of success for any downtown, as far as I am concerned is vibrancy. In order to maintain vibrancy we need a downtown that is friendly to pedestrians, bicycles and cars.

 
4. It's got to be frustrating to see two beautiful big retail spaces on Pacific empty - the Rittenhouse bulding and Borders. Why do you think it's been so long to fill them? Could you see chains such as Target or Kmart coming into those spaces?

CHIP: Honestly, those are two different stories. The Borders building has not really been closed that long, and I don't expect it will stay vacant for long. seems very committed to making sure the space is filled appropriately and quickly. A year turn around on that kind of square footage is really impressive for a Downtown property these days. We'll see how that goes.
The is a very different story that I'm sure I don't know enough about to tell.

I know that many national chains are aware of the Santa Cruz market and will try to locate here in the next few years. If not Downtown, somewhere where Santa Cruz shoppers can get what they are looking for. When that happens it will either bring more people to Downtown or send them somewhere else. I, of course, prefer when people come Downtown.

5. What are the best and worst things about Downtown? How would you compare it to cities such as Monterey, Palo Alto, Los Gatos?

CHIP: I still believe the best thing about Downtown is the people and the diversity. Santa Cruz has so many subcultures. One of my favorite days of the year is the Holiday Parade. Thousands of people come down and they come from all walks of life, Derby Girls, Boy Scouts, car club enthusiasts and bicycle advocates, church groups and atheists, dads groups, librarians, unicyclists, the high school band, geeks, greeks, singers, dancers and on and on.

It's a great symbolic representation of downtown's role in our community. We all come from these very different and important experiences, yet when we agree to come together and all move in the same direction for a couple of hours, it's really magical.

The worst thing about Downtown is people who insist on comparing it to other Downtowns. Santa Cruz is Santa Cruz and it will never be anything else.

Downtowns are like people. They are all different. We have our friends who we are close with, but that doesn't mean other people are better or worse, we just don't connect as strongly. I love Los Gatos and Monterey and many Downtowns all over the world, but I really strongly connect with Downtown Santa Cruz. That's why I live here and not in Los Gatos. Obviously it's not for everyone, but that's really ok.