The San Diego City Council on Monday voted to amend the city's lease with the San Diego Zoo to allow for tiered parking rates, as the city prepares to charge for parking in Balboa Park next month.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the nonprofit that operates the zoo, has been negotiating with the city for months over paid parking. The city is pursuing parking fees across Balboa Park in an effort to avoid deeper cuts to its Parks and Recreation Department budget. Current plans include a discounted parking rate for San Diego residents in some parking lots.
The zoo has the ability to charge for parking today — but its lease of the 100-acre zoo property in Balboa Park requires parking fees to be the same for anyone using the zoo lot.
Adam Day, treasurer for the zoo's board of trustees, declined to say how much the zoo will charge for parking, or whether it will offer discounts to zoo members. But he said the zoo intends to coordinate parking rates with the city.
"Today's action will allow us … to charge city residents less than non-city residents, in essence," Day said. "Without that change, we wouldn't be able to do so. And the need to do so today is so that we can begin to start charging for parking roughly October 1, in alignment with the city's plans."
The push for discounted parking rates for city residents has been led by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who said tourists and visitors from neighboring cities should pay more than city residents.
"This action today will allow the zoo to work in partnership with the city to ensure that we make better use of this incredible asset for the benefit of residents," Elo-Rivera said. "That should result in a better funded park. That should result in a general fund that is less burdened. And it is the beginning of a conversation that will move us to a better place in terms of leveraging assets for the wellbeing of residents."
The council is expected to vote on charging for the remainder of Balboa Park's parking lots next week. City officials have not yet settled on rates, but have floated a 50% discount for city residents and two hours of free parking in Inspiration Point lot, which typically sees the lowest occupancy rates.
Day said the zoo is also open to sharing parking revenues with the city in exchange for an early extension of its lease, which is set to expire in 2034. He said he expected another lease amendment would be presented to the council later this year.
