Pay to Play at Balboa Park Might Be Coming Soon
- Susan Heavilin
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Play time at Balboa Park will soon become pay time. It will cost you $2.50 an hour to park your vehicle on the street nearby. That could easily add a cost of $10 - $20 to your day out.
That's if San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria's new plan for visitor parking goes through and is approved by the San Diego City Council in late July.
What Streets Would Receive Parking Meters?
The new meters would be installed on the following streets:
Balboa Drive
El Prado
Juniper Street
Park Boulevard
Presidents Way
Quince Drive
Sixth Avenue and
Village Place
How big is Balboa Park and what is can I find there?
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego. —Wikiepedia
Is there nothing enjoyable left in the world for free? Not even a dedicated park?
Oh, it gets better. There will also be a fee attached to the twelve lots used for Balboa Park parking.
Mr. Gloria's proposal includes a fee-tier system but those details are still in the making. San Diego residents would be considered for a 50% discount on the highest-tier rate. Would that be the city of San Diego residents or the county of San Diego residents?
Who donated all the plants and trees in Balboa Park?
That would be Kate Sessions, a San Diego botanist and horticulturist.
One of the most celebrated of these early usages was a 36-acre nursery owned and maintained by local horticulturist and botanist Kate Sessions, who is often referred to as "the mother of Balboa Park." Although owned by Sessions, by agreement with the city the nursery was open to the public, and Sessions donated trees and plants to the city every year for its beautification. Sessions is responsible for bringing in many of the different varieties of native and exotic plants in the park.
If the new meters are approved, you could see them as early as fall of this year. I wonder what Kate would think.
Comments