SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Some restaurants in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter said the higher prices for parking put the brakes on one of their biggest weeks of the year.
The Taste of Gaslamp and San Diego Restaurant Week wrapped up this weekend, and while the events are usually a boost for local business, some downtown workers said they did not see the same foot traffic.
Instead, they said they saw what they believe is a consequence of the Special Event Parking Zone in downtown that went into effect at the beginning of September.
In the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, you can hear the sounds of Cuban music flooding onto Fifth Avenue and the smell of vaca frita and Cuban sandwiches cooking.
“We're inviting you into the owner's abuela's living room, so it's always meant to be very homey. Abuela didn't care what it looked like. She just wanted to have a place to sit and eat and feel comfortable,” said Regina Garza, the manager at Havana 1920.
Havana 1920 is nestled on Fifth Avenue and Market Street and just took part in the Taste of Gaslamp, an event running for nearly three decades, but for the first time, coming with a side of steeper parking rates.
“It's definitely a lot of concern, with the employees and guests, all of them been asking questions of like what is going to be happening and just trying to make things work,” said Garza.
The restaurant is in the Special Event Parking Zone, which covers about a half mile around Petco Park, and means that during every event with 10,000 or more in attendance, meters there will charge $10 an hour.
While it may be meant for out-of-towners, local employees are taking the hit.
“A lot of our employees who don't live in nearby areas do use the street parking, and so they're having to park further away and then Uber in,” said Garza.
Garza and others said there have been multiple events throughout September that have left employees paying more than normal.
Something they don't want to halt potential customers.
“I know with the increased parking there's a lot of concern about coming downtown and finding a place to park, but we promise that if anyone comes, there's always going to be someone here to welcome me with a smile, some bocaditos and mojitos for you,” said Garza.
And it's not just downtown that feels the price hikes.
Paid parking lots for the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park were recently approved by the City Council as well.
The council is working on quarterly and annual passes for Balboa Park, but for businesses surrounding Petco Park, public transit is often a more cost-effective option.
While this year’s Taste of Gaslamp event did not fall on a Special Event parking rate day, meters in the downtown area still doubled to $2.50 an hour in August.
