Video: Park Mall Business Owners Complain of a Lack of Signs, Burglaries

Pacifica Mayor Mary Ann Nihart asked business owners in Park Mall Monday afternoon if there was anything the city could do to help them. It was just one tour of local business hubs she calls Mayor's Walks. 

Business owners' feedback varied. While some were positive, others complained of problems with theft and a lack of signs. 

Ray Gheith, owner of and a bagel shop in Park Mall, said that business is growing at a manageable rate. Matthew Porter, owner of also gave a positive review of business in the shopping center at the back of Linda Mar Valley.

On the other hand, Abraham Ahwal, manager of , said that although business is steady, the market's storage shed behind the shopping center has been robbed twice. The thieves cut through a heavy chain to steal beer and other groceries both times.

Matt McPhail, owner of , said his storage unit, also behind the shopping center, was broken into and merchandise was stolen, his car parked in the parking lost was stolen and his motorcycle was stolen from the storage shed. He later found it parked in a driveway a few blocks away. 

have looked into the burglaries with no success, said Ahwal and McPhail. They have been patrolling the area, including the alleyway where the storage sheds sit, regularly. 

McPhail also has had a problem with illegal dumping in front of his storage shed.

When McPhail asked Nihart about the possibility of installing additional lighting or some motion sensors and alarms behind the mall building, Nihart said that because the mall sits on private property, that would have to be something its owners would need to consider. 

Susan Vellone, owner of , and Kelly Cunningham, a financial advisor with an office in Park Mall, complained about what seems to be a common issue in Pacifica: inadequate signage. 

Van O'Campo, director of Pacifica's Public Works Department, said that improving signs on the piece of private land the mall sits on is up to the owners. Signs on street medians around the mall, which Vellone mentioned, are not allowed because it could confuse drivers. 

Watch the video in the gallery to the right for more.