Parking downtown has always been tough because of the limited spots, but for the San Diego Padres' Opening Day on Thursday, if fans are lucky enough to snag a spot on the streets, be prepared to pay.
Last fall, the city quadrupled the meter rate from $2.50 per hour to $10 per hour during special events within a half-mile of Petco Park, and extended the enforcement period to 10 p.m.
“I’m not too happy with the parking fees — the increased parking fees,” said Mark Bartlett, who was going into the Padres Team Store downtown Wednesday to buy some new merchandise for the opener.
He said the high costs are making him think about taking public transit to catch the game with his family.
“We would always park on the streets and, you know, you know, especially during a cutoff time," he said. "It was 5 or 6 p.m. on a game night, right? Because you would get away with free parking. But now, I mean, I know they're pushing it back. And specifically during Padres games, so it's kind of deters us from doing that now.”
The increased fee is also affecting businesses around the ballpark, especially the restaurants and bars.
“It's gonna have a bigger impact on us coming this season,” said Erica Ochoa, the assistant manager at Hasta Mañana Cantina.
She said since the city increased the enforcement period, people don’t stay as long.
“People were more willing to stay longer or (from) after happy hour into dinner because … they don't have to pay any more (for parking)," Ochoa said. "But now I feel like people aren't staying late into the night for dinner. We're not getting as much of a late-night rush.”
The increased fee, however, has been a boon for the city. Before the fees went into effect, the city made about $2,100 per game. After the fees, it was roughly $23,000.
The city said that after raising the rate last year, it earned $299,000 for the remainder of the Padres' season. This will be the first full season under the new rate.
“I think that's great if they're going to use it the right way, you know,” Clairemont resident Colby Christiano said.
The city increased the rate to address, in part, a looming $252.2 million deficit. The only way to avoid paying for parking, Christiano said, is to "commute via public transportation from the many, you know, trolley stops that we have all throughout the city.”
But that isn't as feasible for Bartlett, who lives in East Chula Vista. All the trolley stops are in West Chula Vista.
“It may push us to try," he said. "But I'm still going to pay the outrageous parking fees in downtown, whether it's a parking garage or a stall.”
