SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) issued a statement after the city council meeting on Monday revisited the topic of paid parking at Balboa Park.
Plans to start charging visitors for parking in the lots near the San Diego Zoo moved forward during Monday’s meeting. However, the proposal to implement parking meters at Balboa Park was not approved by the city during a meeting on Tuesday and instead was sent back to staff for review.
The city proposed implementing parking fees in other lots at Balboa Park as a way to deal with a $258 million budget shortfall.
The decision to charge for parking at the zoo, which is in Balboa Park, would require changing the zoo’s existing lease agreement with the city. In a separate announcement, also on Tuesday, SDZWA stated that as part of an agreement with the city, zoo members will be exempt from paying for parking.
The organization sent out the following statement: “Earlier this year, the City of San Diego proposed implementing paid parking at city beaches and parks, including Balboa Park. We have been in constant communication and collaboration with City officials to best understand these changes and how they will affect parking at the San Diego Zoo, including timelines, potential exemptions, and other implementation details.”
The statement continued, “As part of a recent agreement with City Council, when paid parking is implemented in Balboa Park, we will offer complimentary parking for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance members at the Zoo. We are now working through next steps to align with the city and we will continue to ensure all guests are informed about updates and changes through the Zoo’s official communication channels.”
SDZWA members also get complimentary parking at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, which typically costs $20.
During Monday’s meeting, Adam Day, an SDZWA trustee, said the zoo plans to charge San Diego non-member residents less than non-residents.
“The zoo has had the ability to charge for parking for many, many years — in fact, since we’ve been operating the zoo — but we’ve never chosen to charge for parking,” he said. “Today’s action will allow us, as city staff have indicated, to charge city residents less than non-city residents.”
The parking changes at the zoo are expected to take effect on Oct. 1.
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