City to decide on long-term Balboa Park parking fees amid many other questions

The week before last, staff from the city of San Diego’s Parks & Rec department released a framework for long-term parking in Balboa Park, one that proposed charging residents $300 per year to park in the city’s crown jewel. Visitors, whether from Del Mar or Delaware, would have had to pay $375 annually.

Then, amid pushback last week, the staff recommendation dropped that annual fee for residents to $150, which the city council is expected to take up and vote on Tuesday.

Even if they are able to hammer those numbers out — amid a plunging revenue estimate for what the park will generate to help fill San Diego’s budget gap — there are still plenty of outstanding questions, including how the city will implement the program at all, with all the variables and carve-outs.

Here’s one question the city says it thinks it knows the answer to: How much it will cost to implement the program, and how much it thinks it will raise from it:

“The proposed action projects $612,500 to be expended in FY 2026 for the implementation of this program, which reflects a decrease of $812,000 from budgeted expenditures. Additionally, revenues are projected to be $2.9 million, or a decrease of $9.6 million in the General Fund, from the FY 2026 Adopted Budget. These projections are slightly lower than those included in the FY2026 First Quarter Budget Monitoring Report due to revised annual, quarterly, and monthly pass rates. Annualized revenue is projected to be 5.8 million.“

As already stated: There are still many, many more questions about the parking program for the park than we have answers for. NBC 7 came up with a list we’re seeking answers for but would welcome other suggestions to add to it:

• How many permits will be available?
• Is parking guaranteed?
• Are special events covered or not covered?
• How many spots can organizers of special events rent out?
• Will long-term passes be good for weekends and weekdays?
• Will any dates, such as December Nights, be blacked out?
• What about hours?
• If no parking is available, will there be reimbursements if a pass-holder ends up in a metered spot?
• Will the permit be tied to an individual or vehicle?
• Are there commercial permits for limo drivers/tour buses/school buses/media?
• Will park workers and volunteers be charged for long-term passes? How much?
• Can someone register an address with a PO box or business address in the city of San Diego vs. a home address?
• Are there carve-outs for people who may live in areas like the San Pasqual Valley that have an Escondido Address but representation in the city of San Diego
• What incentive is there for people to buy a yearly pass for the proposed $150 when an annual adult pass for the zoo for local residents is $99, with parking included for members?
• Will zoo members be able to park for free in the city-owned lots if the zoo lot is full?

If approved, all the new parking rates are set to take effect in January.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.