The San Diego City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend $150,000 on improvements to the Alcazar Garden parking lot in Balboa Park, which will result in the addition of more handicapped spaces.
The condition of the lot has become an issue since parking spaces were removed in the nearby Plaza de Panama earlier this year, forcing people with disabilities to use the Alcazar spots.
"I get a lot of calls about the current circumstances, particularly as they related to the elderly and disabled," Interim Mayor Todd Gloria said. "I think this is welcome news to those folks who feel as though the improvements in the Plaza de Panama are aesthetically a positive, but there's real access issues."
According to staff, the grade in the Alcazar Garden parking lot is too steep and the pavement is being uprooted by nearby trees, creating difficult conditions for the elderly and disabled.
The project will result in the number of handicapped spaces going from five to 14, at the cost of 15 standard slots, according to the staff report.
Preliminary engineering work is already underway, with the project due to be completed next spring.
