By David Garrick / San Diego U-T / April 6, 2025
A sweeping proposal to revamp many San Diego parking rules — including plans to end free street parking on Sundays and install meters in Balboa Park — is facing backlash from residents, merchant groups and nonprofits. With the proposal headed for a City Council vote in late May, officials are making some concessions such as a plan to allow $9-per-year residential permits in any neighborhood where Sunday metered parking will no longer be free.
But the city is holding firm on other proposed changes that face opposition, including plans to dramatically shrink the share of meter revenue that nonprofit community parking districts get to keep for neighborhood projects.
The parking districts would also be required to diversify their governing boards, which are now dominated by merchants and don’t often include residents, community-based organizations or advocacy groups.
City officials are meeting regularly with Balboa Park officials to discuss how the city will charge for parking there, which would likely go beyond meters to include full-day passes and other options. While Balboa Park officials say they appreciate the ongoing discussions, they remain adamant that more analysis is needed before any changes that could slash the number of visitors to the park’s museums and other attractions.
“Implementing a poorly planned or poorly communicated paid parking strategy would decimate visitation to the park,” Peter Comiskey, leader of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, told a City Council committee last month. “We want all residents to spend longer enjoying Balboa Park, not watching a meter.”
The proposed parking change facing the most backlash is a plan to end free street parking on Sundays in some neighborhoods and business districts that city officials say they would choose based on careful analysis.
Shane Harris, a local civil rights advocate, launched a petition against the proposal that has garnered more than 1,500 signatures since February. “In the midst of inflation and other concerns, people are saying ‘no,’” Harris told the council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
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Quasi-OT. We have permitted parking within a distance from SDSU. It costs money to the city for the sticker and is only between M-F certain hours of the day. And yet some of these kids, who have cars, park outside the zone, further impacting the neighborhood, adding to the additional ADU impact. Some in our neighborhood want to extend the zone, costing those households a fee, for an issue SDSU does nothing about. While it’s crickets from the great pocketbook watcher, Ego-Rivera.
Resident free Tuesdays will also be DOA when ending free parking at Balboa Park. Like closing libraries on Sundays. That could be the only “library” day for many who work. Underserved are thrown under the bus yet again.
I have to question the whole concept of paid parking in Balboa Park. (To be candid this does not affect me directly since I am lucky enough to live in walking distance of the park.). But I seem to remember when we were fighting Jacob’s Folly a number of years ago and the city wanted to approve an 800 car paid parking lot in the middle of the park one of the [many many] arguments against that was the when the land was given to San Diego one of the stipulations was that the park remain free for the people to use. Having to pay to park in the park does not seem to satisfy that so it would probably just amount to more expensive litigation for the city…