What is scarce in Coronado and a shared challenge for residents and visitors alike?
One does not have to wait until holiday seasons or major events, like the upcoming NASCAR races, to arrive at an answer: parking.
Claudia Lorge, 73, who has lived in the Coronado village for more than 40 years at multiple addresses said from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the curbs are crowded in her neighborhood.
“You can eventually find a spot but sometimes it takes a while or (you have to) park further away,” said Lorge.
Lorge said she believes the parking issue stems from an influx of visitors and an increasing number of vehicles from residents who live in multi-housing units on lots where there were once single-family homes.
“I don’t really know what the solution is,” said Lorge. “We all have a lot of cars and we need a place to park.”
Parking data
A 2022 Regional Parking Inventory And Behavioral Survey Study Report, by the San Diego Association Of Governments (SANDAG) includes Coronado in its comprehensive overview of spaces in parking-constrained areas throughout SANDAG’s mobility hub network, described as places of connectivity where different modes of travel converge and are located at concentrations of employment, housing, shopping, and recreation.
According to the report, Coronado’s parking inventory is estimated to include 2,493 free on-street spaces, 2,072 off-street nonresidential parking spaces, and 7,294 off-street residential parking spaces.
The report found that most drivers park at locations within walking distance from their destination and do not spend a lot of time searching for a parking space, which it says is in part due to employer work from home policies and decreased visitation due to COVID-19, across parking-constrained areas in the region’s network.
“Over time, the number of automobile parking spaces at mobility hubs is likely to decrease because of a decrease in demand and capacity due to alternative uses of curb space and new land uses,” says the report.
In 2021, Coronado removed parking meters, an initiative led by the police department, said Kaylee Ricci, communications and engagement officer with the Coronado City Manager’s Office.
“Although meters were removed, many of those spaces continue to be managed through clearly marked time limits, maintaining turnover and access while eliminating the need for payment,” explained Ricci over email.
Ricci said city staff takes a structured and policy-driven approach to managing public parking, guiding decisions on established regulations and operational needs.
“The vast majority of changes to on-street parking are in response to state law requirements or carefully reviewed requests from residents or businesses, following city policies,” said Ricci.
Ricci said the city’s Public Services and Engineering Department assesses whether a certain parking request is “warranted” and can be recommended for installation.
According to Ricci, these include designated uses such as loading zones, accessible (ADA) parking, red curbs for safety, and other time-limited or use-specific restrictions intended to support traffic flow, accessibility, and public safety. These policies are available on the city’s website, she said.
Ricci said California Vehicle Code allows local jurisdictions to regulate on-street parking based on local ordinances.
“The police department is responsible for monitoring parking throughout the city and enforcing all related regulations to ensure compliance,” said Ricci.
Title 56 of the City of Coronado Municipal Code includes several chapters related to parking including what is or is not allowed as well as how parking can be regulated, added Ricci.
Coronado Police Department data shows officers issued 5,748 citations for violations of the city’s limited-time parking zones from Jan. 1, 2021 to mid-March in 2026. More than half of the citations occurred in 2022 and 2023. As of this year, through March 12, the department has issued five of those citations.
In March of 2025, police began to enforce a new “daylighting law” which prohibits parking within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk. Police data shows 443 citations have been issued to violators through March 22, with 47 issued in the first months of 2026.
According to Ricci, the city has no formal report specifically analyzing the impact of the meter removal on off-street parking.
Ricci notes staff continues to monitor parking conditions and make adjustments as needed to support community needs.
“Most changes require City Council approval before they can be installed,” said Ricci. “Since removing the parking meters the city has not, nor is it currently, considering any other parking arrangements.”
Parking issues
Even so, people in Coronado continue to say parking is an issue.
“Parking supply in Coronado is already stressed by approximately two million annual visitors and the number of tourists is expected to rise as population increases outside Coronado,” wrote former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey in a 2019 housing letter to the state.
The Coronado Visitor Center website stresses parking is free in Coronado, including for beach users along Ocean Boulevard, but there is a two-hour time limit on Orange Avenue.
Coronado Mayor John Duncan has emphasized how proud he is of Coronado’s coastal access.
“We have more access in the volume of our city than any city in Southern California by far that I’m aware of,” Duncan told Council members on Jan. 20. “We also have no paid parking required.”
On Jan. 20 the council initiated discussions about revisiting off-street parking requirements for grab-and-go restaurants.
During this meeting, Council member Kelly Purvis told the council “we have heard a lot about ‘there’s no where to park.’”
“Especially at the holidays,” said Purvis. “This last holiday has been enormous and that’s very concerning.”
In February, Lorge told The Coronado News that parking was especially problematic during holiday celebrations hosted at the Hotel Del last December.
“This was the first year that it really was terrible,” she said.
Lorge said “the summer is always bad” because of heavy beach use.
“Almost every neighborhood probably has an issue with parking,” added Lorge, who lives just off Orange Avenue in the heart of the city.
SANDAG reports that 64% of employees in the mobility hub network have no parking benefits.
The report says more than one-third of employees with annual household incomes of $35,000 or more receive free parking while employees with lower household incomes are less likely to receive this benefit.
The Coronado News heard from multiple commuters that parking is a major issue for them. One person explained they arrange to drop off their car the morning of a shift, arrive to work using public transportation and later drive home.
Other workers in Coronado said at times they encounter residents blocking spaces and are permitted to leave their job site at different intervals to move their car before citations. Others said they avoid the hassle by walking or biking to work.
Despite the challenges, Lorge said she prefers the streets without meters.
On March 3, the city revisited parking discussions when it denied an appeal of parking requirements by a restaurant known as Nicky Rottens, on Orange Avenue near the Ferry Landing.
During public comment, Coronado resident Robbins Kelly said the lack of parking spaces is a problem citywide.
“Parking is such a big issue in this town, and it’s not just in the 100 and 200 block (of Orange Avenue), it’s all over town,” said Kelly.
Existing policy
Coronado’s municipal code on off-street parking says: “The city finds that on-street parking does not fulfill parking requirements and that off-street parking is needed to retain traffic capacities on streets and highways and that adequate, well-designed off-street parking facilities assist business, lessen traffic congestion, help maintain property values and deter blight and deterioration.”
In January, City Council member Carrie Downey explained a review of parking problems would mean opening a specific plan for Orange Avenue as well as the town’s coastal plan, requiring Coastal Commission approval.
“The overall vision for the Specific Plan area is to maintain a small town ‘village’ atmosphere for commercial, residential, and civic land uses in a pedestrian-friendly environment that provides a balance between resident and visitor needs,” says the Orange Avenue Corridor Specific Plan adopted on Nov. 4, 2003, and last amended in April 2014.
The city’s municipal code says this plan guides development spanning 20 years through policies, standards and design criteria with amendments by the City Council, by ordinance.
The plan notes that “availability of convenient parking” is a continuing challenge, and community members interviewed in the past called for additional parking.
“The study of parking utilization in Coronado confirms that much of the commercial core of this city is ‘parking impacted,’ meaning that demand outstrips supply,” says the plan.
On a sunny afternoon, Lorge sits on a lawn chair in the grass berm beside the D Avenue sidewalk acknowledging neighbors and passers-by while she lightly rocks the stroller carrying her granddaughter beside her.
Lorge, who lives beside the city’s commercial core, said after she’s been grocery shopping she’ll unload her car in a nearby lot, then drive around to find an open space by the curb. She refuses to pay hourly fees at nearby private lots, but is open to supporting a garage with monthly fees.
She added that, amid the parking headaches, she reminds herself that there is a positive tradeoff living in Coronado, a place where “you know your neighbors.”
“You just balance the good with the not so good,” said Lorge. “Every neighborhood is going to have its issues.”
