The historic Third Avenue Village will be known as Downtown Chula Vista in a new re-branding campaign to recognize its forward-facing progression as it becomes increasingly build-out and mixed-use.
Chula Vista’s Third Avenue features restaurants, breweries, hair salons, and small retailers that has a long-standing familiarity with the community. The Third Avenue Village Association (TAVA), the corporation that oversees the property-Based Business Improvement District, made the announcement after holding its highly-anticipated 25th annual Lemon Festival for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Dominic Li Mandri, District Manager of TAVA, the process began last November when it became apparent to the organization that there was no synchronized branding around Third Avenue.
“We wanted to reorganize the brand under one cohesive brand, and we settled on Downtown Chula Vista,” Li Mandri said.” We definitely want to secure that brand awareness before we have some further developments in the community that further heightens Downtown Chula Vista's reputation.”
TAVA Board Member Dr. Gonzalo Quintero told the local press that TAVA “came together through committee, made this decision with community investment from our neighbors, our business neighbors. We decided to come up with a new branding and a new name, Downtown Chula Vista."
TAVA will now reorganize under the Downtown Chula Vista Brand for future events and marketing purposes, according to Li Mandri.
“We wanted to go all in on a familiar brand that the Chula Vista community already recognizes, embraces, and is more reflective of where this is going in the next five to ten years,” Li Mandri said.
In August 2021, TAVA hired New City America, the company credited with revitalizing San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood to expand the influence of Third Avenue in the South Bay. Some of their plans include creating a more walkable environment by increasing mixed-use development, more public spaces, and entrepreneurial activities, such as an art walk and farmers' market.
According to Li Mandri, TAVA has been around for more than 20 years but has not undergone a re-branding campaign. Li Mandri said the organization hopes to further cement the re-branding campaign with new amenities along the Third Avenue corridor in the coming months.
The organization recently received a $115,000 grant from the County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Nora Vargas to fund the amenities, which include new trash cans, new tables, chairs, umbrellas, and more branding along Third Avenue. The grant will also fund a new custom holiday tree the organization hopes to unveil this December during a tree lighting ceremony.
“With these new amenities going in downtown, we're hoping to further cement that transition to the potential of this brand,” Li Mandri said.
Although the organization plans to change details along the third avenue corridor, its landmark sign will stay the same. The organization’s re-branding also calls for a website redesign, which will be folded into the current TAVA webpage.
“We want to stay true to the Chula Vista spirit and the sense of community here. We think downtown has been within the branding lexicon for downtown Chula Vista, so we want to lean into that branding. We want to use it as the platform to discuss the area we know as downtown Chula Vista for the next five to ten years to come,” Li Mandri said.
