This post has been updated.
A proposed paid parking plan for Balboa Park is now projected to bring in $15.5 million for fiscal year 2026.
That’s up from earlier estimates, which suggested that charging for parking at San Diego’s crown jewel would bring in $11 million.
City officials want to start charging for parking by Oct. 1, but the San Diego City Council still has to approve rates for surface lots and meters.
The new projection also includes potential parking revenue at the San Diego Zoo lot. The city is still in negotiations with the zoo.
The new revenue generated from parking fees won’t directly go into the city’s general fund, but in general it will help ease the city’s ongoing budget troubles.
The Infamous Parking Proposal
On July 28, the San Diego City Council discussed two plans for paid parking in Balboa Park: a tiered parking plan for the different lots and a parking meter zone.
Parking lots can range from $6 to $12 for the day depending on the distance from the park. Meters along stretches of Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard would charge $2.50 an hour with a four-hour maximum. The city is considering a $6 flat rate per day for residents at the nearest lots. Park volunteers and workers would have free parking in lots located farther from the park.
However, the proposed fees could still change. And the revenue will depend on the rate the City Council sets for the various tiers, along with resident and employee carve outs. The City Council must also decide if the city will offer free parking at Inspiration Point, the park’s farthest lot.
Charles Modica, the city’s Independent Budget Analyst (IBA), offered up a sobering reality. “If that free parking time extends much beyond two hours, then you start seeing some significant declines in the revenue,” he said about Inspiration Point.
The initial projected revenue for paid parking was originally $11 million with a Jan. 1 start date. But with the councilmembers desperate to bring some dollars in, they’ve now shifted that timeline to Oct. 1 with an anticipated revenue of $15.5 million.
And the City’s Budget Problems?
The new parking revenue both does and does not help the city’s ongoing budget problems.
State law requires parking revenue generated at Balboa Park to go back into Balboa Park, said Rachel Laing, chief spokesperson for the mayor.
That’s good for the city’s budget troubles, because it means the city won’t have to pay for the park’s needs out of its general fund. Instead it will be able to use the new parking revenue, which in turn, will free up money in the city’s general fund for other things.
Some of the new revenue will be split up into different pots.
Money from the Balboa parking lots will go into maintenance and improvements at Balboa Park. Revenue from the parking meters along Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard must be spent strictly on a newly established parking meter district. This money goes to improvements related to parking and traffic management in the area.
The money from the parking lots will go into a special revenue fund overseen by the city, according to the Mayor’s Office. Laing said they “will determine how to allocate it within allowable uses of parking revenues.”
An Era of Uncertainty
For the hundreds of organizations and nonprofits that work out of the park, the paid parking plan ushers in an era of uncertainty. There are concerns about how parking will discourage visitors in the coming months.
“Right now, people can just come to the park without thinking about it,” Katy McDonald, executive director from Forever Balboa Park, said. “It may cause people to double think about coming to the park.”
That could have long-term impacts on Balboa Park, where Peter Comiskey, executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership said the economic activity in the park generates anywhere between $600-$700 million.
“The visitors to Balboa Park and the economic impact of Balboa Park is more important for our city than a budget line,” said Comiskey.
Sept. 2, 2025, correction: This post has been updated to correct that the initial estimated revenue from parking at Balboa Park was $11 million.
It just opens Pandora’s box. Charge at Balboa Park? Then what’s next? San Diego Bay? And then what’s to stop the funds from being redirected with a city council vote? Wasn’t it OB that saw their revenue percentage return drop with the new extended rules?
🤣 yep, agree with Mr. Schultz.
That is one way to DEFUND community services.
Can staff predict government deficit with a financial model? If not, how can they predict parking fees???
If the fees are boycotted, who will be accountable?
We want our WEED taxes back!!!
Tax was supposed to be for art, parks & recreation. Gloria took it all for the asbestos building and then some.
Local Fumancheros 420 Unite!
Make America’s Finest City Great Again 💪 🇺🇸
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Parking will go into different pots. We all know what that means. I doubt the citizens will see any improvements.
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Where is the disgust with this administration vosd? Balboa Park is for everybody but the people who need it the most are the low income that can barely afford to feed and clothe their kids. Whos going without lunch this week so we can go to the park and pay the parking fees? The zoo is already a luxury and the city is gonna reach in someones pocket for lunch money too? How is Mayisha and jonny going to be inspired about horticulture and exotic plants and xeriscape and architecturs without visiting our beautiful greenhouse in the plaza, when they barely have a houseplant in the apartment. Or be inspired by local artizans in spanish village. Oh no jonny, you cant ride the carosel, or have an ice cream, thats for rich kids, we had to use the money to park the car.
All that affordable housing the city keeps touting. Take it from the property owners and shift it to the city as trash and water go up.
I pay to participate weekly as a silversmith at San Diego Mineral and Gem Society. So disappointing to add parking costs. My cohorts are equally unhappy about this.
great
Many people at the park are part time workers or volunteers. Paying for parking would discourage many volunteers. Museums that are already suffering will have less visitors because they will maybe go to one less museum or buy less at the gift stores because they have to pay for parking. SDMA is expanding, bringing more of a mess to the park. So much for the gem of SD.
As for me as a resident I tend to not go places that have metered parking or charge for parking. I stopped going to Spanish landing when they started charging. I don’t support any of the businesses in the areas that have metered parking. If it isnt free and easy to park i dont use those businesses. I stopped going to the businesses in PB that now have metered parking on the street. I definitely wouldn’t be going to downtown with those new metered parking prices. I’ll just do the same with Balboa park. There are probably others out there like me. Is it the local businesses and museums fault
? No it isn’t. They get hurt and get lost revenue. I’m sure there are plenty of others out there like me.
I would just like to point out that this need to raise revenue arises from a simple problem. The city promised very large and generous pensions to city workers such as local fire and police. Many of those workers walk away with pensions that are 80% of their last year of income, something no private employer provides. The problem is the city promised these pensions but never set aside funds to pay them. So now we have an ever growing number of retirees who want what they were promised and a city that never raised funds to pay them. In the last election the city’s proposal was to raise sales taxes to offset some of this problem but voters voted it down. So here we are as a result, implementing piecemeal taxes all over the place. Because make no mistake, making public parking on city streets and lots a paid expense is a tax on city residents.
Yes, the sales tax was a bailout to Todd’s bad deals and ignoring the pension issue. He wanted to plug all sorts of budget holes with it. And yet, has he downsized his bloated staff? No. This is a pathetic group running the city that survives on special interests.
As a city employee, I totally agree. I pay nothing for my benefits and my kid’s either.
yea more money! All while screwing everyday San Diegans. City Hall has shown how much they think of us. Recall Turd Gloria and vote out the losers on city council.