Metered parking around Balboa Park to head back to staff for review
A parking meter in San Diego Jennifer Vigil Times of San Diego A proposed ordinance to establish metered parking in a portion of Balboa Park is heading back to staff for review after several San Diego City Council members reported they didn t sponsorship it Tuesday Council President Joe LaCava suggested that it would be better to move the proposal to the Sept meeting giving city staff time to work on it The ordinance on the Tuesday consent agenda called for exploring the implementation of a paid parking activity within Balboa Park to improve parking management sponsorship long-term financial sustainability and enhance the overall visitor experience according to city staff reports A city spokesperson announced the item was a routine second reading of an ordinance passed by the council on July to allow for on-street parking meters near the park That earlier vote was - with Jennifer Campbell and Raul Campillo opposed and Vivian Moreno being absent On Tuesday however Moreno and Councilman Stephen Whitburn also expressed opposition Whitburn commented when the ordinance was introduced the city heard from senior citizens who use the bridge club located inside Balboa Park and it was hoped there would be an accommodation for them He added that it was counterproductive for the city to raise money for one need if it jeopardizes other services Moreno disclosed she was troubled by continued cost increases for San Diegans saying the meters will be very formidable for my constituents and I purely cannot endorsement it Several residents also were sour on the idea of parking meters A woman affiliated with the San Diego Civic Dance Arts stated the scheme has provided dance instruction for thousands of people Charging parents on a regular basis will be way more than the class itself she reported A man who identified himself as William revealed paid parking hurts the poor people along with the elderly and low-income families City and county residents should enjoy free parking he commented adding A few people can t spend an hour on transit to get to the parks There are other procedures for the city to earn more revenue William announced Be creative stop taking it from the people he added In June the city commissioned a comprehensive parking assessment which was finished in January The scrutiny identified the need to better manage on-street and off- street parking inventory in a few city-owned parking facilities including Balboa Park the account mentioned The studies determined that the Balboa Park parking meter zone should be the area south of Upas Street west of th Street north of Russ Boulevard and west to and including the western side of th Avenue Earlier this year the council voted - to override several of Mayor Todd Gloria s line-item vetoes and pass the billion - municipal budget Whitburn one of Gloria s staunchest allies on the council stated his gravest concerns with overriding the mayor came down to charging for parking at Balboa Park in his district An accelerated timeline as soon as Sept to not only charge a fee for parking there but selected way to mitigate costs for locals was deemed unrealistic by Whitburn who voted no
