CCDC Chief Quits; Hailed as Key Force in New Downtown

Gerald Trimble, one of the prime forces behind the dramatic revival and renewal of downtown San Diego, resigned Tuesday after 10 1/2 years as the first and only head of the city’s downtown redevelopment agency.

Trimble will leave his $105,000-a-year post, which made him the city’s highest paid public official, to become president and chief executive officer of the University of Southern California’s new Real Estate Development Corp.

The for-profit corporation was created last month by the university’s board of trustees to oversee development of the university’s property around its University Park and Health Sciences campuses, perhaps in joint ventures with other property owners and developers.

‘No One More Important’

“No person in San Diego, in my opinion . . . (has been) more important to downtown redevelopment than Jerry has,� said John Davies, chairman of the board of Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment agency. Trimble was CCDC’s top administrative officer.

During his tenure with CCDC, Trimble, 52, oversaw a major transformation as downtown San Diego, left for dead as the city sprawled into the suburbs and Mission Valley, rebounded with major new high-rise and residential projects, a building boom that continues unabated today.

Perhaps Trimble’s best-known achievement--certainly the one which has attracted the most national attention--was as the city’s chief negotiator, hand-holder and midwife behind the construction of Horton Plaza.

The $140-million shopping center has served not only as a magnet in attracting suburbanites back downtown, but also as the centerpiece of downtown’s renewal, it has worked as a catalyst for several other major construction projects nearby.

“A major part of me is here in San Diego,� Trimble said after his resignation was announced.

“This has been a very, very tough decision,� he said. “It’s to take advantage of an opportunity . . . after 10 1/2 years, I’d like to take advantage of other opportunities.�

As for his accomplishments, Trimble said, “We’ve accomplished a great deal. Downtown is booming . . . and people said it couldn’t happen.�

When Trimble left his job as executive director of Pasadena’s redevelopment agency to takeover the fledging CCDC in 1977, he was its first employee and downtown was in the throes of a severe depression. Retail businesses had fled to the suburbs. The derelicts claimed many sidewalks. And downtown night life, still a scarce commodity, was left to Gaslamp Quarter bars, adult bookstores and tattoo parlors.

At first, as buildings were razed and people were displaced to make way for Horton Plaza, Trimble was severely criticized. But as the center took the form of brick and mortar, leading to its opening two years ago, the critics subsided and the praise flowed.

“I have nothing but the highest regard for him,� said Ernest Hahn, the developer of Horton Plaza who has worked closely with Trimble for many years. “He’s one of the most competent redevelopment directors in the United States.�

Hahn called Trimble a “rare individual� because of his ability to balance both his responsibilities as a public official while bringing to his job an “entrepreneurial spirit.�

‘Understands Developers’

“He talks the language of developers,� Hahn said.

Hahn, who is a member both of the USC board of trustees and a member of its executive committee, said he is well aware of the new program Trimble will head, but said he played no role in Trimble’s hiring.

Trimble, a USC alumnus, has served as a consultant to the university, according to Lyn Hutton, senior vice president for administration at USC and vice chairman of the corporation’s new board of directors. “We had worked with Jerry, using him as a consultant in the past year or so. As the concept began to jell, and we looked for someone to head it up, we asked if he’d be interested,� Hutton said, adding that the job offer was made last week.

The job at the university will entail development of student and faculty housing, as well as commercial construction and perhaps some retail, Hutton said.

Trimble will also be familiar with the corporation’s chairman of the board, Cornelius Pings. Pings, who is the USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, was a member of the board of directors of the Pasadena redevelopment agency during the time Trimble served as its executive director from 1971 to 1977.

Though some council members have grumbled in private about Trimble’s salary, Trimble said that had nothing to do with his resignation, which will become official Feb. 10. Hutton declined to say how much USC will be paying Trimble, but she said he will be allowed to continue his consulting business.

Sometimes Abrasive

Though Trimble leaves a legacy of downtown construction and public art that will last for generations, his style at times rankled the City Council and the public. He was sometimes abrasive and always protective of his territory. A dedicated jogger, he brought the same kind of tenacity and determination to the boardroom as he did to running.

Some have called him aloof and secretive. His penchant for controlling information, sometimes keeping members of the CCDC board uninformed, angered others. But no one ever accused Trimble of not doing his job--rebuilding 325 acres of downtown property, and putting in motion the core of a residential center that is envisioned to encompass 4,000 units.

Councilwoman Celia Ballesteros, whose district includes downtown, said Tuesday that Trimble has been “a tremendous asset to San Diego and his leaving will be sorely felt.�

“It’s going to be very hard to replace him,� she said. “I think he’s an extremely bright individual. He came 10 years ago and took a dead downtown and has been able to work with CCDC to bring it into a vibrant, growing downtown. A lot of that has been thanks to his ability.

“He’s no warm, cuddly person, but he is a very creative individual that, for the nature of the beast . . . is aggressive and creative. There is always going to be criticism of that individual.�

Ballesteros said she didn’t think Trimble had outlived his usefulness, a feeling also emphasized by Councilman Ed Struiksma, who said he would have been “happy to see him stick around for another decade.

“I would consider him to be very tenacious, brilliant in financial matters, just an endless supply of energy in wheeling and dealing downtown,� Struiksma said, adding that Trimble’s hard-charging style didn’t bother him.

‘Prima Donna, But So What?’

“I recognize that you are dealing with an individual who is somewhat of a prima donna, with a large capacity to immerse himself in the issues, who probably, from time to time, did not demonstrate the kind of patience he could have.

“I guess my reaction is--so what?� Struiksma said.

Commenting on the timing of Trimble’s departure, Councilman Mike Gotch said, “Every bright policy-maker should leave at the apex of his career.

“I think there was a consensus that his style from time to time engendered conflict and controversy, but his job was a difficult one, to preside over the birth of a new downtown.�

Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer, who has argued with Trimble repeatedly in public, said she gave the redevelopment chief credit for turning around a sluggish, dying downtown, but said she disagreed with Trimble’s land-use policies and personal style.

She said there were times when council members found themselves being rubber stamps--instead of bosses--to Trimble. He would often hold press conferences announcing a new project, she said, before it had ever been forwarded to the CCDC board or council members for final approval.

“He was the master of the fait accompli ,� Wolfsheimer said.

She also said that big-time deal makers like Trimble may be outdated for downtown, which is ready to attract redevelopment on its own.

“I think downtown is, with due credit to Gerry Trimble, hot property,� Wolfsheimer said. “We don’t need to seek people for deals with the incentive of enormous amounts of cash.�

Jan Anton, former CCDC board member and one of Trimble’s strongest supporters, said San Diego “is going to miss the talents of Jerry.�

“I think he’s done an outstanding job in the 10 years that he’s been here, and I think I kind of always thought one of these days he would go into private-enterprise type of development and do a good job,� Anton said.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor told Trimble at a council meeting Tuesday afternoon, “Your contributions to San Diego will be remembered for generations to come.� She praised Trimble for, among other things, placing a high priority on public art in new buildings.

Davies, the CCDC chairman, said he has formed a committee to help search for a replacement, a task that Davies hopes can be done in 60 days, to allow time for Trimble to help break in the new executive director. Joining Davies on the committee will be fellow board members Pat Kruer and Phil Blair. “We’ll be asking the mayor’s office to assist in that search as well,� Davies said.

Trimble, according to Davies, will not only help choose his replacement and help in the transition, but may be kept on as a consultant to help CCDC for a while.

The person most prominently mentioned Thursday as a possible candidate was Trimble’s chief assistant, Pam Hamilton.