In an effort to capitalize on one of Irvine’s biggest destinations, the City Council decided the Great Park will soon be pay-to-park.
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The paid parking program, which will offer some exceptions for Irvine residents, will span the Great Park’s eight parking lots when the system goes live as early as late this year.
Once implemented, all Irvine residents will be given four hours of free parking per day. And there will be a 15 minute grace period for all drop-offs and pick-ups.
But out-of-towners who park in the area Mondays through Thursdays anytime after 4 p.m. would need to pay fees ranging from $2 to $4 per hour, depending on the lot. Visitors who park Fridays through Sundays would need to pay fees ranging from $3 to $4 per hour.
Parking fees would cap at four hours.
Both out-of-town visitors and Irvine residents will have to pay to park during special events, with rates ranging from $25 to $40 for a day.
As part of their decision on Tuesday, June 23, to implement the parking program, councilmembers also decided to award a contract up to $1.08 million to Parking Concepts, Inc. for “installation, implementation, and ongoing operations of the Great Park parking system.”
On-site payment kiosks will have to be installed. And the plan is that payments will also be taken online or through an app. License plate recognition cameras will also be installed at entry and exit lanes to log vehicles in real time, officials said.
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City staffers estimate the parking system will generate between $3 million and $5 million annually in the “near-term,” with the capacity to eventually bring up to $10 million annually to city coffers as the park builds out.
The Great Park is already home to, among other draws, several sports fields used for tournaments, its stadium hosts the OC Soccer Club and there is a temporary amphitheater. In the future, it is expected to host multiple museums and cultural destinations, a botanical garden and a larger amphitheater.
The council’s decision to support paid parking in the Great Park comes after a 2024 study, in which staffers found a need for “improved utilization of parking facilities,” “more rapid parking turnover” and “return on investment.”
The idea of a paid-parking program, in recent months, has also been brought up several times on the dais as a way to help bridge the city’s budget deficit.
As part of Tuesday’s decision, councilmembers also agreed they’d “fine-tune” the parking program as needed.
“I assume you don’t get it 100% right the first time you implement a parking plan,” Mayor Larry Agran said. “Once it’s introduced and in place, and operating for a couple of months, it’ll come back to us and staff for adjustments.”
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