SAN DIEGO — The San Ysidro Port of Entry is the world's busiest land border crossing and it has major parking issues for commuters, residents, and visitors.
To address the woeful parking supply, the city of San Diego is looking to install parking meters around the San Ysidro border crossing as a way to increase parking availability by dissuading longer-term parking in the area.
On December 5, 2023, San Diego city council members will vote on whether to take the first step toward making parking meters in San Ysidro a reality when they decide whether or not to form the San Ysidro Community Parking District.
If approved, San Ysidro would become San Diego's sixth parking district, joining Downtown, Uptown, Mid-City, Old Town, and Pacific Beach - the council is also discussing whether or not to add the Convoy District to the list along with San Ysidro.
As proposed, the parking district would encompass the area north of the San Ysidro Port of Entry along Beyer Boulevard northeast to Dairy Mart Road and then west to Camino de la Plaza before heading southeast back to the border.
In a quest to boost parking inventory, the proposed San Ysidro Community District could implement time-limited parking spaces as well as metered parking.
Implementing paid and time-limited parking. according to a city-commissioned study in November 2022, will improve parking availability, bring more foot traffic to local businesses, and dissuade long-term parking in the area.
"...[W]hile some of these streets have high parking demand, adjacent street segments do not, suggesting that they may be used by long-term overnight parkers who leave their vehicles on the US side of the border before returning to Mexico. Several businesses and residents in the area recounted similar anecdotal observations though this cannot be confirmed in the Study," reads the parking study.
"We want to have street parking utilized the way it was meant to be utilized and that's people coming and going into our businesses," said Jason Wells, Executive Director of the San Ysidro Improvement Corporation, the nonprofit who requested the formation of a parking district.
Wells said while all of San Ysidro is included in the proposal, the intent is to only install parking meters in commercial areas, yet still have the freedom to use those funds elsewhere.
"We're able to use funds from the parking meters in the entire area, which is why we made it so large."
Wells said those funds can go towards improvements such as a San Ysidro sign, as well as a free shuttle which could take people from the port of entry to nearby trolley stops.
In addition, Wells hopes being a designated parking district will draw more parking enforcement.
CBS8 noticed one, two-hour zone where there were several cars for sale, which Wells said never moved.
"With the parking district, it will actually bring the enforcement itself because right now like a lot of other things, the parking enforcement is out of downtown. They don't wanna come to San Ysidro," said Wells.
As for how the public feels, reaction is mixed.
"I don't think you should. They're making enough money already," said one man. Another person said, "I'm ok with it."