Paid parking in Balboa Park ends on January 1, 2027. The City Council action behind that date names one set of meters outside the park's interior for removal: the 46 meters on Park Boulevard, on the park's east side. The meters on Sixth Avenue between Elm and Upas sit on Bankers Hill's doorstep and are the ones most of the neighborhood walks past to reach the Cabrillo Bridge, and the repeal never mentions them.
That leaves the park's west edge in a different spot than its east edge as the year ends. Park Boulevard has a written answer. Sixth Avenue has a rate posted on the City's website and no date for that rate to end.
What the June vote actually removed
The item before the City Council in June was Item 641, "Repeal Balboa Park Paid Parking User Fee," brought by Councilmember Stephen Whitburn with the Council President's office, the City Treasurer, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, the Independent Budget Analyst and the Mayor's office. It asked the Council to repeal the paid parking program "within Balboa Park," making parking free for everyone starting January 1, 2027. It also named "the removal of the forty-six parking meters installed on Park Boulevard."
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune's report on the June 8 vote, Whitburn said the repeal went beyond the large lots. It also covers hundreds of meters installed inside the park on these roads:
- Presidents Way
- Village Place
- Balboa Drive
- El Prado
- Quince Drive
- Juniper Road
- Park Boulevard
Sixth Avenue isn't on that list either. The Council resolution describes removing the program "from the Park" and doesn't mention Sixth Avenue anywhere.
Why Sixth Avenue falls in a different category
The City's own Balboa Park parking page, updated August 27, 2026, divides the meters into two groups. The first group is meters on roads within the park: Balboa Drive, El Prado, Juniper Road, Presidents Way, Quince Drive, Zoo Drive and Village Place. Those cost $2.50 an hour, up to $10 a day. The second group is meters on "adjacent roads." That group includes Sixth Avenue from Elm to Upas and Park Boulevard from Village Place to Presidents Way, both at $2.50 an hour with a four-hour maximum.
The June action sorts those two adjacent-road stretches differently. Park Boulevard's 46 meters were named for removal. Sixth Avenue's weren't. The City's FAQ handles the money from these meters separately as well:
"Revenues collected from the Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard meters may be reinvested in the park and surrounding streets, and those funds can only be used for traffic safety, mobility and transportation-related infrastructure needs."
Money collected inside the park goes back into park operations and maintenance. Meter money from Sixth Avenue and Park Boulevard is limited to traffic safety and mobility in the park and on the streets around it.
People asked about this before the vote. CBS 8 reported that the future of the Sixth Avenue meters was uncertain. Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, who was part of the settlement talks, told the station, "I haven't seen that in the actual settlement, that specific language, so I don't know the answer to that question." The station said Council President Joe LaCava's office expected the remaining details to be settled at the June 8 vote.
The City's page, updated August 27, still lists the Sixth Avenue rate and four-hour limit and doesn't say whether that listing ends on January 1. The question CBS 8 raised before the vote is still open going into the last two months of the program.
The repeal came out of a trash-fee settlement
The narrow wording makes more sense once you know where the repeal came from. It was one part of a larger settlement. KPBS reported that homeowners sued the City after Measure B ended more than a century of free trash pickup for single-family homes. They argued the new fee violated Proposition 218, the 1996 state measure that says utility fees can't exceed the cost of the service.
The Union-Tribune reported that Whitburn brokered the deal with labor leader Mike Zucchet and former Mayor Kevin Faulconer. It lowers trash fees in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 and ends paid parking in the park. City officials told the Council the parking fees had been projected to bring in $7 million to $10 million a year, and that money goes away with the repeal. Mayor Todd Gloria told KPBS the settlement "is not perfect or ideal."
The deal was negotiated over trash fees, and the parking repeal was attached to it. The section on the park is written around the park itself and around the specific meters the negotiators named. Peter Comiskey, who leads the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, told the Council, "Your creativity and leadership will begin to pull Balboa Park back from the brink." He also said, "We recognize that the next several months will not be without challenges." Those months are almost over.
The rules that apply through December 31
Paid parking stays in effect through the end of 2026. Enforcement runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except listed holidays. The two left this year are Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, and Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, plus Christmas Day.
| Item | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Annual pass sales | Ended June 8, 2026 |
| Quarterly pass sales | Ended Sept. 30, 2026 |
| Monthly pass sales | End Nov. 30, 2026 |
| 2026 permits | Valid until expiration or Dec. 31, 2026, whichever comes first |
| Marston Point and other Level 2 lots | Free for verified city residents; $10 per day for nonresidents |
| Meters in and near the park | $2.50 per hour; resident discount does not apply |
| Sixth Avenue meters, Elm to Upas | $2.50 per hour, four-hour maximum; status after Jan. 1 not stated |
The City says people holding annual passes that run past January 1 can get prorated refunds, and that refund instructions will be added to the parking page later. The one-time $5 resident registration fee won't be refunded. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check the City's page for how the refund and permit rules apply to you.
The tram is also unsettled. The City's parking page says free tram service continues, running daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. out of the Inspiration Point lot at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way. The Union-Tribune reported in June that the City plans to end the new tram service it started when paid parking began on January 5. The two sources may be describing different tram services, and neither one explains the difference.
The west-side calendar for the rest of the paid-parking era
The Sixth Avenue meters and lawns get busy for several more events before the year ends. The Old Globe's events-in-the-park listing, posted for theatergoers, works as a traffic schedule for the west edge.
- Through Sunday, Nov. 1: The Haunted Trail runs on select nights at Marston Point from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. The Old Globe warns of more traffic on Sixth Avenue, Laurel Street and El Prado.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: The More Than Pink Walk sets up at El Prado and Laurel from 5 to 11 a.m., with road closures.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Miles for Migraine starts from the Sixth Avenue and Laurel South Lawn, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: The Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day walk runs along Sixth Avenue and through the city from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with road closures.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: The Holiday Market at the Japanese Friendship Garden runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
December Nights is the last big weekend before the repeal. It runs Friday, December 4, from 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, December 5, from noon to 10 p.m. The Old Globe expects more than 200,000 people over the weekend. It says cars aren't allowed in the park, nearby parking fills quickly, and theatergoers should allow at least two hours to park outside the park and walk in. For comparison, during the 2025 festival the City ran free event shuttles from downtown parking lots to the El Prado and Cabrillo Bridge entrance, which is the Bankers Hill side of the park.
A new stop on First Avenue
Three blocks west of the park, on First Avenue, a new shop is getting ready to open. Five Corners Coffee & Bakery Co. at 3407 First Ave. says on its website that it has passed final inspections and expects to open in late October. It plans to serve specialty coffee and scratch-made baked goods through a roasting partnership. The shop hasn't announced a grand-opening date yet, so its website and the "Get Notified" signup are the places to watch.
Starting January 1, the lots at Marston Point and the meters along El Prado will be free for everyone. Until the City updates its page, the Sixth Avenue meters between Elm and Upas still show $2.50 an hour with a four-hour limit, and the City hasn't said whether that changes.
If you're a Bankers Hill homeowner thinking about how the park's next chapter could affect your block, San Diego's Favorite Team can talk through what we're seeing on the west edge with you. Start your San Diego home plan and get a tailored consultation.
