SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego Padres Opening Day will bring thousands of fans downtown to the ballpark, but they will face a steep challenge before even getting into the game: paying for parking.
People coming downtown will need to pay a steep price if they plan to park within a half-mile of Petco Park during Padres games and other big events. Just steps in either direction of the special event parking zone boundaries can mean a big difference in what drivers pay.
Back in September, the city raised parking meter rates from $2.50 to $10 an hour for at least six hours. City leaders implemented the increase to address the budget deficit.
"That’s not the way to reduce that deficit; it’s the city’s job to encourage people to come downtown, not to dissuade them from coming downtown," said Howard Greenberg, a San Diego resident.
As crowds gear up for Opening Day, frustration over the parking prices is growing among residents.
"We have the most beautiful ballpark in all the country, so people love coming to the city, spending their money, but to charge that amount is absurd," Manuel Cruz said.
Some city leaders believe this surge in pricing will only backfire down the line.
"Now that we are getting into the full baseball season, where 50 percent of the days will have the surge pricing, we’re going to really start to see it hurt," District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo said.
Earlier this year, Campillo proposed a "5-5-5" plan. The proposal would cut the hourly rate from $10 to $5, limit the special event parking zone to five blocks around the stadium, and shorten the time the higher prices are in effect.
"Reign it in, make it more sensible, and really just exercise common sense that you can’t quadruple the price of hourly parking and expect it to not have serious economic ramifications," Campillo said.
With no changes in place just yet, drivers should be prepared to pay the higher rates for now.
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