The cost of parking near Petco Park during major events will quadruple from $2.50 to $10 an hour next month, as the city Monday prepares a new special-event parking zone, set to begin Sept. 1.
The event zone will affect parking-meter rates within a half mile of Petco Park and is intended to ease traffic congestion near the stadium, city officials said. The Padres, meanwhile, said they were caught off guard by the hike and that "the city made this decision without meaningful input from key stakeholders, including the Padres organization."
Meter rates will increase to $10 an hour starting two hours before a baseball game or any major event "expected to draw 10,000 people or more," according to the city. The $10 rate will continue for four hours from the start time of the event, for a total of six hours.
There are 17 special events scheduled for September at Petco, including 14 Padres games, two sold-out Savannah Bananas baseball games (Sept. 5-6) and a Chris Brown concert (Sept. 17).
However, vehicles with a disabled placard or license plate will continue to be able to park at meters throughout the city for free, including in the special-event zone during events.
The rate hike came as an unpleasant surprise to the Padres.
"The city's decision to raise parking meter rates by 700% since last year, reaching $10 per hour before and during events at Petco Park, will make it significantly more expensive for fans, workers, and residents to park on the streets surrounding the ballpark," a Padres spokesman told City News Service.
"The city made this decision without meaningful input from key stakeholders, including the Padres organization. We have not yet received information regarding how the new parking revenue will be reinvested locally but look forward to better understanding the city's plan."
Starting Monday, city crews began installing the first of around 400 signs to inform motorists of the new rates within the 200-block area around Petco Park — roughly bordered by Harbor Drive, State Street, Broadway and Interstate 5.
To go along with the increased rates near Petco Park, the city has also scheduled a two-hour increase in metered hours in metered spots throughout the city, but no later than 10 p.m.
The parking rate in San Diego doubled in January — from $1.25 an hour to $2.50 an hour — throughout most of the city. While city leaders said this was to bring the city more in line with those of other large California cities, it also was, in part, to address a looming $252.2 million city deficit.
The doubling was expected to bring in $800,000 each month for an average of $9.6 million annually, according to a report by the city's independent budget analyst. The city passed a budget in June balanced on several increased fees or fees being charged for the first time — such as parking in Balboa Park.
To compare, downtown Los Angeles meter rates vary depending on location from $.50 to $6 an hour. San Francisco uses "demand-responsive pricing" that ranges from under $2 to $11 an hour. Seattle charges more depending on time of day, with evening rates ranging from $1 to $6.
In San Diego, both the special-event zone increase and the additional two metered hours are part of a package of changes to the municipal code "intended to improve management of on-street parking" and increase parking rates that the San Diego City Council also passed in June.
Parking meter revenues are limited by law to specific areas and uses. They "must be reinvested to benefit parking and mobility-related needs within the meter zone where they were collected," a city statement said.
Installation of the signs is expected to take about two weeks. For more information and a detailed map, visit sandiego.gov/parking/specialevents.deficit.
