Port raises Tuna Harbor parking rates

Under a program they say is temporary but also overdue, Port of San Diego officials have boosted parking rates by 50 cents an hour in Tuna Harbor, the picturesque lot immediately south of the USS Midway Museum.

The decision, which came on a split vote with two commissioners opposed, raises the fee from $1.25 an hour to $1.75 per hour.

The proposal was adopted as a pilot project that is supposed to last six months. The arrangement also imposes parking charges on Sundays for the first time and extends the required metering from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Port Commissioners Marshall Merrifield and Rafael Castellanos opposed the staff recommendation.

The board majority noted that rates had not been adjusted in the 186-stall parking lot since 2006. The increase is expected to raise about $82,000 for the port over the six-month period.

In November, the Port of San Diego announced it was considering doubling parking rates — to $2.50 per hour — in some or all of its 1,000 or so parking stalls along the waterfront. That idea was shelved after residents complained the price hike was too steep and port tenants worried the plan would drive away business.

The more modest recommendation approved Tuesday grew out of follow-up discussions.

In its analysis to commissioners, port staff noted that the Tuna Harbor lot is the busiest parking area within its control.

Analysts pointed out that free parking on Sundays led many visitors to park all day, limiting access to many others who do not arrive to the lot early.

“Best management practices and market research analysis predict that the proposed modifications would result in increased turnover for public parking and increased revenues to the district,” the report said.

The parking rates will not apply to most holidays.