UTC shoppers stunned as free parking shrinks
San Diegans barely had time to get over the Balboa Park parking drama before Westfield UTC decided to pile on. Effective Monday, March 2, the University City mall quietly slashed its free parking window from two hours down to one. After that, the meter starts running at $2 per hour, up to a $15 daily maximum.
If you've ever tried to grab lunch, browse a few stores, and maybe swing by a return at UTC, you know two hours was already cutting it close. One hour? You'd better move fast.
The mall has been charging for parking since 2019, when it ended 41 years of completely free parking, blaming all-day parkers who weren't actually shopping. The switch to two free hours was the compromise. Now that compromise has been trimmed in half, and shoppers showing up this week reportedly got surprised at the exit gates with unexpected charges, with some even reporting long lines backing up at the booths.
Mall management says the change is about freeing up spaces for real customers and making parking more predictable. The hourly rate did drop slightly from $3 to $2, so there's a silver lining if you're staying longer anyway.
Some tenants still offer validation. AMC Theatres, 24-Hour Fitness, Seasons 52, and the UTC Ice Sports Center can extend your free time — though the mall's own website still showed the old two-hour policy, adding to the confusion.
With the Mid-Coast Trolley Blue Line running straight to UTC since 2021, the mall has a transit alternative ready. But for the average shopper rolling in from Pacific Beach or Clairemont with a trunk full of returns and a lunch reservation, one free hour is going to feel very short.
Sources: NBC San Diego | San Diego Union-Tribune | Fox 5 San Diego | Hoodline | Westfield UTC