The City of Orange implemented a new paid parking program for Old Towne on Feb. 9, which has caused mixed reactions from residents in the area. The new parking system was designed to increase parking availability and make it easier for people to visit. This outcome hasn’t been ideal for everybody.
“I don’t think it was a good call,” stated Thompson Coulombe, who works at Nectar located in Old Towne. “I just feel like there were already struggles parking here, and I feel like it just kind of created more chaos, and it’s making people not want to come to the circle for valid reasons.”
Each area has limited parking available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Parking prices range from $1.25 to $2.00 per hour, depending on the area you park in.
This change was implemented as an alternative way to increase tax revenue, since Measure Z, a ballot measure to raise the city’s sales tax from 7.75% to 8.25%, was turned down by voters in November. Added to the reasons to make more parking available in Old Towne, the Orange City Council voted 4-2 in favor of the new parking system.
The intention to free up more parking spaces hasn’t gone unnoticed. Kayla Serrano, a student at Santiago Canyon College, spends much of her time in Old Towne.
“On the positive side, I see that there are more open spaces for me to park when I go there,” she said.
Many students at Chapman University can walk to Old Towne without paying for parking. Brooke Petler, a student currently attending Chapman, discusses her perspective on the new system.
“Personally, I don’t visit the Orange Circle during school hours that much. However, I do know a lot of students who do,” said Petler. “It’s such a hot spot for people who study and also a social place, I think, already as college students who most of the time are struggling with money, that now paying for parking might discourage that.”
The new system doesn’t seem to be working for businesses yet, according to Coulombe.
“It’s a little bit slower just because it’s not as appealing now that you have to pay for parking, because there’s literally no free parking anymore. So I feel like there’s no draw anymore,” he said.
It is also affecting students from the area who used to regularly drive to the Old Towne Circle for years. One of the many struggles for those students is the limited time they have to park in the area.
“I’m a student, and I study at a lot of the cafes there,” said Serrano, “I wish that the parking time was longer in some areas, like maybe around the cafes or during a certain time period. Usually, I am there for more than 3 hours when I study, so I wish the time was just longer.”
According to the Orange City Council at their approval meeting on Jan. 28, 2025, the funds directly generated are intended for economic development support and to address municipal budget needs.
