Westfield UTC, located in La Jolla and one of San Diego's most popular shopping malls, plans to start charging for parking soon. There are a number of reasons for this decision.
Westfield officials confirmed one of the reasons behind the decision is to raise funds to build a parking garage. They are also instituting the practice to discourage UC San Diego students from parking at the mall rather than on campus. The campus is close enough to walk, and currently charges for parking. In order to make sure patrons know about measure like this, officials could use flyer printing to create handouts to place on parked cars.
The problem is expected to increase when a new trolley station and regional transit center are built, as commuters might also be tempted to park at UTC rather than in a designated lot.
The fee structure allows for the first two hours to be free, after which parking will cost $2 for each additional hour. Officials believe most people will not be affected, since few customers remain on the property for that length of time. In addition, those who use food delivery options such as Grubhub, Doordash, or Postmates should not be affected.
Mall employees will also be subject to the new parking rules, but they will be offered a discounted rate. Paid parking is expected to start at the end of January.
