Pocket change will no longer be enough to cover an hour of parking in downtown La Mesa \u2014 $1.50 will be the new going rate starting Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been 20 years since the city last updated the meter rate. In those two decades, the downtown has transformed into bustling, walkable blocks with small, eclectic shops and beloved restaurants.<\/p>\n
Brittany Fox is a co-owner of Small Batch, a gift shop on La Mesa Boulevard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s grown a lot. I think just a lot of millennials or younger people have moved to La Mesa,\u201d Fox said. \u201cI think they are used to coming from North Park or places like that where there’s a little bit more of a walkable area. So because of us being here and all the different, great businesses that have opened up in the last five to 10 years, I think it’s gotten a lot more popular down here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox lives in Little Italy and doesn\u2019t think the rate hike will hurt business.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause our parking (in La Mesa) is already so inexpensive, I don\u2019t think that it\u2019s going to be that big of a deal,\u201d Fox said. \u201cA little increase, which again, is still way less than most places in this area, I don\u2019t see it being a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
But a couple of downtown shoppers KPBS spoke to on Monday said it might have an impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I know that I\u2019m going to have to pay for parking, I\u2019ll kind of think about the decision, ‘oh do I really want to go?’\u201d said Brenna Martinez, who was shopping for books and records.<\/p>\n
Her companion, Sam Hockaday, said he\u2019s wary of the rising parking costs across San Diego County.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like in a lot of places it costs the same amount to park as it does to get whatever meal or coffee you\u2019re trying to get, and that sucks,\u201d Hockaday said.<\/p>\n
Boosting the cost of parking has become trendy among the region\u2019s cities in the past couple of years, including Chula Vista<\/a> and San Diego.<\/p>\n San Diego has been especially aggressive, boosting all meters to $2.50 an hour<\/a> and $10 an hour<\/a> on certain downtown streets during big events like Padres games and concerts. Also, beginning Jan. 5, there will be parking fees and meters in Balboa Park<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n La Mesa\u2019s Community Parking Commission<\/a> recommended the city council approve the rate change in October. The commission reviewed other city\u2019s rates and found the average meter rate for San Diego County (excluding La Mesa) is $2.05 per hour.<\/p>\n \u201cFund revenue has not kept pace with the cost of infrastructure maintenance and improvements in the District,\u201d the commission wrote in the report<\/a> presented to city council in July.<\/p>\n Mayor Mark Arapostathis said in a recent interview that the rate hike is needed to maintain and upgrade the meters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did unanimously vote to raise the rates mostly because all the costs have gone up and technology has changed, and we want to try to keep up with that,\u201d Arapostathis said.<\/p>\n The city is also increasing the cost of parking permits, which are exclusively for the local businesses. Businesses can purchase permits for their employees to park in certain metered areas.<\/p>\n The city historically has had a tiered system that provided parking access based on the price of the permit. In the new year, the city will get rid of the tiered system but charge more for new permits.<\/p>\n