Balboa Park Parking Could Bring in More Money
City officials now expect that charging for parking at Balboa Park could bring in $15.5 million. The post Balboa Park Parking Could Bring in More Money appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
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A proposed paid parking plan for Balboa Park is now projected to bring in $15.5 million for fiscal year 2026.
That’s up from earlier estimates, which suggested that charging for parking at San Diego’s crown jewel would bring in $12.5 million.
City officials want to start charging for parking by Oct. 1, but the San Diego City Council still has to approve rates for surface lots and meters.
The new projection also includes potential parking revenue at the San Diego Zoo lot. The city is still in negotiations with the zoo.
The new revenue generated from parking fees won’t directly go into the city’s general fund, but in general it will help ease the city’s ongoing budget troubles.
The Infamous Parking Proposal
On July 28, the San Diego City Council discussed two plans for paid parking in Balboa Park: a tiered parking plan for the different lots and a parking meter zone.
Parking lots can range from $6 to $12 for the day depending on the distance from the park. Meters along stretches of Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard would charge $2.50 an hour with a four-hour maximum. The city is considering a $6 flat rate per day for residents at the nearest lots. Park volunteers and workers would have free parking in lots located farther from the park.
However, the proposed fees could still change. And the revenue will depend on the rate the City Council sets for the various tiers, along with resident and employee carve outs. The City Council must also decide if the city will offer free parking at Inspiration Point, the park’s farthest lot.
Charles Modica, the city’s Independent Budget Analyst (IBA), offered up a sobering reality. “If that free parking time extends much beyond two hours, then you start seeing some significant declines in the revenue,” he said about Inspiration Point.
The initial projected revenue for paid parking was originally $11 million with a Jan. 1 start date. But with the councilmembers desperate to bring some dollars in, they’ve now shifted that timeline to Oct. 1 with an anticipated revenue of $15.5 million.
And the City’s Budget Problems?
The new parking revenue both does and does not help the city’s ongoing budget problems.
State law requires parking revenue generated at Balboa Park to go back into Balboa Park, said Rachel Laing, chief spokesperson for the mayor.
That’s good for the city’s budget troubles, because it means the city won’t have to pay for the park’s needs out of its general fund. Instead it will be able to use the new parking revenue, which in turn, will free up money in the city’s general fund for other things.
Some of the new revenue will be split up into different pots.
Money from the Balboa parking lots will go into maintenance and improvements at Balboa Park. Revenue from the parking meters along Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard must be spent strictly on a newly established parking meter district. This money goes to improvements related to parking and traffic management in the area.
The money from the parking lots will go into a special revenue fund overseen by the city, according to the Mayor’s Office. Laing said they “will determine how to allocate it within allowable uses of parking revenues.”
An Era of Uncertainty
For the hundreds of organizations and nonprofits that work out of the park, the paid parking plan ushers in an era of uncertainty. There are concerns about how parking will discourage visitors in the coming months.
“Right now, people can just come to the park without thinking about it,” Katy McDonald, executive director from Forever Balboa Park, said. “It may cause people to double think about coming to the park.”
That could have long-term impacts on Balboa Park, where Peter Comiskey, executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership said the economic activity in the park generates anywhere between $600-$700 million.
“The visitors to Balboa Park and the economic impact of Balboa Park is more important for our city than a budget line,” said Comiskey.
The post Balboa Park Parking Could Bring in More Money appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
