Balboa Park Parking Changes Take Effect March 2, Offer Discounts to San Diego Residents
San Diego residents will soon see changes to parking rules at Balboa Park, with a compromise reached Friday between Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council President Joe LaCava. The deal will make parking free for city residents in six large Balboa Park lots and end parking enforcement at 6 p.m. Instead of 8 p.m., .
The move comes after weeks of backlash following the city’s rollout of paid parking in the park, a system that officially took effect , though the city hadn’t begun issuing citations as of Friday. While some council members and park leaders praised the changes as a step in the right direction, others argued they didn’t go far enough.
Under the new agreement, city residents will still have to pay to park in five lots closest to Balboa Park’s most popular attractions. The cost will be $8 for a full day or $5 for four hours – half the rate charged to non-residents. However, accessing these discounted rates requires a multi-step process: residents must apply online, pay a $5 verification fee, and wait two days for approval before selecting their visit date.
The deal does not alter the parking fees for non-residents. The lots where residents will continue to pay are the Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, and South Carousel lots. Residents will park for free in the Pepper Grove, Federal, Upper Inspiration Point, Lower Inspiration Point, Marston Point, Palisades, and Bea Evenson lots. Lower Inspiration Point already offered three hours of free parking to all visitors.
Councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera and Kent Lee, along with LaCava, had demanded changes and scheduled a public hearing to consider making parking free for all residents, a hearing that LaCava will now cancel. The push for changes followed a poll sponsored by The San Diego Union-Tribune and 10News, which found that 80% of San Diego residents wanted the new parking fees either eliminated or reduced.
Leaders of some Balboa Park museums had also reported a significant drop in visitors since the parking fees were introduced. Two weeks prior to the agreement, they estimated a potential $20 million decrease in annual revenue due to the fees. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, representing dozens of institutions, offered measured praise for the deal, calling it “a start of movement in the right direction” but emphasizing that more needed to be done to restore free parking for everyone.
However, not all organizations were satisfied. The Natural History Museum issued a statement calling the deal a “half-measure,” arguing that it still marginalized county residents who have long supported Balboa Park and created a two-tiered system based on municipal boundaries.
Councilmember Lee echoed this sentiment, stating that the deal didn’t fully accomplish his goals. Elo-Rivera, however, expressed optimism, saying the agreement moved the city closer to his objective of keeping Balboa Park free and accessible for San Diego residents while asking visitors to contribute to the park’s maintenance.
The changes are expected to particularly benefit the park’s restaurants, including the Prado, and the Old Globe Theatre, due to the extension of parking enforcement to 6 p.m. Instead of 8 p.m.
Mayor Gloria framed the deal as a response to public concerns. “Good governing also means listening,” he said in a statement. “I’ve heard from residents and from members of the City Council about how this program is affecting San Diegans who love Balboa Park as much as I do. That feedback matters.”
The agreement is projected to reduce revenue from Balboa Park parking fees by approximately $1.7 million between now and . Gloria stated that the City Council has committed to identifying cuts to other city services to offset the revenue loss.
City officials are still determining when parking enforcement will begin, with the possibility of it starting before, on, or after the new rules take effect on . The city has already collected nearly $700,000 in parking fees despite not yet enforcing the rules.
Details about the new parking rules can be found on the city’s website: https://www.sandiego.gov/parking/balboapark
