Paid parking is coming to Balboa Park — here’s what it could cost you

San Diegans have known since September that the days of free parking at Balboa Park are numbered. Well that day is here, and in the next month, you could be paying for a parking fee you hadn’t previously.

City officials just back-tracked on the original parking pass prices for residents versus non-residents, cutting the proposed yearly residential rate in half. Officials also brought down the yearly rates for non-residents, but increased the quarterly rate’s cost.

Those new, lower rates also means the city will collect much less revenue than it was counting on — about $9.6 million less than what they budgeted.

Now that the council has solidified the new plan, here’s how much it will cost for a spot in the park or at new meters around the park.

New meters are going up on Park Boulevard and Sixth Avenue starting today and will begin collecting your coins as soon as they are installed.

• Those meters, adjacent to the park, will have a four-hour maximum with a rate of $2.50 an hour. 

Metered parking within Balboa Park will have the same rate and time limit, but paid parking inside the park — whether on the road or in a lot — won’t begin until Jan. 5.

Balboa Park visitors after Jan. 5  will need to decide whether to buy daily, monthly, quarterly or yearly parking passes.

• City residents get discounted rates on everything but the daily rate, after registering their vehicle’s license plate through an online portal that the city is currently building.

Here are the final parking pass rates for city residents: monthly, $30; quarterly, $60; annual, $150.

For non-residents (yes, that means anyone who lives in San Diego County but outside the city) those costs are: monthly, $40; quarterly, $120; annual, $300.

Daily and hourly parking rates will vary depending on how far from the center of the park each lot is, and will be enforced from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Level 1 lots, are those closest to central attractions — Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, Bea Evanson, Palisades and the South Carousel.

• They cost residents of $8 for a full day, or $5 for a maximum of four hours. 
• And non-residents will pay $16 per day or $10 for up to four hours.

Level 2 lots will cost residents $5 per day and non-residents $10 per day. 

• These lots are Pepper Grove, Federal, Inspiration Point and Marston Point

Lower Inspiration Point is designated at the level 3 lot. 

• Residents and non-residents can park here for free for up to three hours, after that residents pay $5 per day and non-residents pay $10 per day.

If you have a disability and an ADA placard for your vehicle, you can park for free anywhere on park roads and in designated spaces in parking lots.

The city’s senior public information officer, Leslie Branscomb, said that while the resident portal is in-development and should be ready to go on Jan. 5, if it is not ready, that could delay when paid parking is actually implemented.

• Residents will need to verify their status to receive a reduced rate when the portal is open. Branscomb said that San Diegans can use either a drivers license, vehicle registration or utility bill. To do so, there will also be a $5 processing fee.