PACIFIC BEACH, Calif. — Business owners in Pacific Beach are expressing concerns about the city's decision to extend parking meter hours, worrying the changes could drive away customers and questioning whether collected revenue will actually improve their neighborhood.
The City of San Diego recently announced it's extending parking meter hours and updating rates in Pacific Beach, Mid-City, Uptown and Downtown. Some meters now operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., an extension of at least two hours from previous schedules.
Robert Jones, kitchen manager at Filippi's Pizza Grotto, said he's not pleased with the changes.
"I'm not a fan of the parking changes. I'm not a fan of the parking meters," Jones said. "I feel like less locals will be coming out knowing that they're gonna have to pay for running basic errands, groceries and whatnot."
The city says the extra money from the meters will be put back into the neighborhoods, but Jones remains skeptical.
"You know, the roads definitely around here need a lot of work," Jones said. "I wish that we could see what's actually happening with the money instead of all I see is parking enforcement."
Camilo Barrientos, co-owner of Braveheart Barbershop, echoes similar concerns. He says they haven't seen improvements to the neighborhood since parking meters were first added.
"We haven't seen anything change really. Everything has stayed the same. It's just now more complicated parking," Barrientos said.
The city also claims the changes will improve turnover for parking spots, but Barrientos questions that.
"You don't really see a good turnaround rate. People are trying to find parking on other sides, like on either side of the street," Barrientos said.
According to city leaders, rates had not been updated in decades. They say these changes are part of the city's effort to align with other major cities in California.
People with disability placards and license plates can continue to park for free.
ABC 10News took these concerns to the city, they responded with a statement saying:
By state and local law, parking meter revenues must be reinvested to benefit parking and mobility-related needs within the meter zone where they were collected. These revenues support improvements and ongoing maintenance of local infrastructure while freeing up less restricted General Fund resources for other uses. Eligible uses may include road repaving, lighting upgrades, signage improvements and landscaping.
The meter revenue has been used to repair potholes, fix and install signs, repair streetlights and traffic signals, as well as installing curb painting and striping. Business owners can reach out to the Pacific Beach Community Parking District with any additional locations and improvements they have in mind.
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