DATE: March 10, 2020
SUBJECT:
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INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION FROM WONDERLUST EVENTS, LLC INCLUDING A RECAP ON THE INAUGURAL 2019 Wonderfront MUSIC AND ARTS Festival AND DIRECTION TO STAFF
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Wonderlust Events, LLC is the producer of the Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival 2019 (Wonderfront Festival or Festival), which produced its inaugural three-day music and arts festival on District tidelands in San Diego from November 22nd to 24th, 2019. The Wonderfront Festival featured a diverse lineup of 80+ musicians on seven stages at various locations from Broadway Pier to the San Diego Bayfront Park and activated the waterfront with a variety of entertainment, arts, and culinary experiences. The District supported the Wonderfront Festival under the Waterfront Arts & Activation department’s Business Negotiated Event program and provided sponsorship in the form of fee waivers and funding of $500,000, in accordance with previous Board actions on July 17, 2018 (Attachment A), and August 13, 2019 (Attachment B).
This agenda item is being brought forward for the Board to receive an informational presentation from the producers of the 2019 Wonderfront Festival, to recap the event’s first year successes, review areas for enhancement, identify opportunities for growth, discuss lessons learned, and provide direction to staff
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive an informational presentation from Wonderlust Events, LLC. on the inaugural 2019 Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival and provide direction to staff.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is an informational presentation and there is no fiscal impact.
Compass Strategic Goals:
District sponsorship of select Business Negotiated Events generate direct and indirect incremental revenue through increased concession rents from tenant businesses that benefit from these events and increased use of District parking assets. The District also realizes promotional benefit for the tidelands as a visitor destination, as well as the fulfillment of its objective to attract visitors to enjoy activities on San Diego Bay. This agenda item supports the following Strategic Goal(s):
• A Port that the public understands and trusts.
• A vibrant waterfront destination where residents and visitors converge.
• A Port with a healthy and sustainable bay and its environment.
• A financially sustainable Port that drives job creation and regional economic vitality.
DISCUSSION:
The Waterfront Arts & Activation department administers the District’s events and activation programs to bring a variety of events - ranging from small community gatherings to major festivals, parades, and world-class placemaking celebrations - to tidelands each year. The most complex of these are the District’s Business Negotiated Event partnerships, which involve District-wide support resources from multiple departments, extensive permitting and logistical arrangements, and significant multi-agency coordination. The Wonderfront Festival is one of these partnerships and was approved by the Board on July 17, 2018 (Attachment A) and August 13, 2019 (Attachment B) for a unique multiple-day arts and music festival to occur on San Diego bayfront during November, outside of the busier Memorial Day to Labor Day summer timeframe. The inaugural 2019 Wonderfront Festival was held on seven prominent waterfront locations on District tidelands from Friday, November 22nd, through Sunday, November 24th. The festival producers created the Festival with the intent that it become San Diego’s premier waterfront arts and musical experience. The festival producers included three California celebrity brand representatives, Tony Hawk, Rob Machado, and Trevor Hoffman, who also served as festival ambassadors to attract a new demographic to enjoy the San Diego Bay and District parks. The District provided sponsorship under the Waterfront Arts & Activation department’s Business Negotiated Event program in the amount of $500,000 (up to $350,000 in-kind services and $150,000 in cash) for the Festival, which matched the total funding provided by the San Diego Tourism and Marketing District.
Under this agenda item, the Board will receive an informational presentation from the Wonderfront Festival representatives recapping the 2019 event. Attachment C to this agenda sheet is a report prepared by Wonderlust Events, LLC and a summary of that report will be presented to the Board. After the Festival, District staff completed an internal debrief and identified opportunities for future Festival, if approved by the Board at a later date, project features. Project features for future consideration include sound level monitoring and enhancements, festival footprint, increased public access, and opportunity for greater awareness of District tidelands. However, the Board will not make any approvals on the matter at the March Board meeting. Based on direction from the Board, staff anticipates continuing negotiations with the event producers for an agreement for a future 2020 festival and anticipates returning to the Board at a later date.
General Counsel’s Comments:
The Office of the General Counsel has reviewed this agenda sheet and attachments, as presented to it, and approves the same as to form and legality.
Environmental Review:
The informational presentation from Wonderlust Events LLC and the Board’s direction to staff do not constitute an “approval” or a “project” under the definitions set forth in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15352 and 15378 because no direct or indirect changes to the physical environment would occur. CEQA requires that the District adequately assess the environmental impacts of projects and reasonably foreseeable activities that may result from projects prior to the approval of the same. Any project developed as a result of Board’s direction that requires the District or the Board’s discretionary approval resulting in a physical change to the environment will be analyzed in accordance with CEQA prior to such approval. CEQA review may result in the District, in its sole and absolute discretion, requiring implementation of mitigation measures, adopting an alternative, including without limitation, a “no project alternative” or adopting a Statement of Overriding Consideration, if required. The presentation and Board direction in no way limit the exercise of this discretion. Therefore, no further CEQA review is required.
In addition, the presentation and Board direction comply with Sections 35, 82, and 87 of the Port Act, which allows for the Board to do all acts necessary and convenient for the exercise of its powers. The Port Act was enacted by the California Legislature and is consistent with the Public Trust Doctrine. Consequently, the presentation and Board direction are consistent with the Public Trust Doctrine.
Finally, the presentation and Board direction do not allow for “development,” as defined in Section 30106 of the California Coastal Act, or “new development,” pursuant to Section 1.a. of the District’s Coastal Development Permit (CDP) Regulations because they would not result in, without limitation, a physical change, change in use or increase the intensity of uses. Therefore, issuance of a CDP or exclusion is not required at this time. However, development within the District requires processing under the District’s CDP Regulations. Future development, as defined in Section 30106 of the Coastal Act, will remain subject to its own independent review pursuant to the District’s certified CDP Regulations, PMP, and Chapters 3 and 8 of the Coastal Act. The presentation and Board direction in no way limit the exercise of the District’s discretion under the District’s CDP Regulations. Therefore, issuance of a CDP or exclusion is not required at this time.
Equal Opportunity Program:
Not applicable.
PREPARED BY:
Yvonne Wise
Director, Waterfront Arts & Activation
Attachment(s):
Attachment A: Resolution No. 2018-130, July 17, 2018
Attachment B: Resolution No. 2019-099, August 13, 2019
Attachment C: Wonderlust Events, LLC Reporting Appendix for 2019 Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival