Santana Row in San Jose launches program to charge for parking on site

Santana Row in San Jose has launched a program to charge for parking.

SAN JOSE — Santana Row in San Jose has launched a program to charge for parking, a response to an influx of customers and employees seeking to escape paying for parking at a nearby huge shopping mall.

The new paid parking program went into effect this week at Santana Row, a mixed-use destination neighborhood near the corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose.

In 2022, Westfield Valley Fair, at Stevens Creek and North Winchester in San Jose, implemented a parking program for customers — and workers — at that mall.

Yet since Valley Fair instituted its parking program, it appears that both patrons and employees of Valley Fair have taken steps to avoid the parking charges, according to Federal Realty Investment Trust, the principal owner and developer of Santana Row.

“We are rolling out paid parking due to the increased number of Valley Fair employees and customers using our parking spaces,” Collette Navarette, senior director of marketing with Federal Realty, said in an email she sent to this news organization.

Santana Row officials instituted the parking charges to ward off the surge of customers and workers who sought to park for free while at Westfield Valley Fair.

“Parking regulations benefit our customers trying to shop and dine, as well as the businesses on Santana Row,” Navarette said.

Here are some details about the Santana Row parking charges, which are similar to those at Valley Fair:

— The first two hours to park are free.

— After the first two hours, the fee will be $2 per hour.

— The daily maximum parking charge is $10.

“This approach maintains consistency across the region and ensures fairness for all visitors,” Navarette said.

Santana Row employees who seek an alternative to paying $2 a day are being offered a monthly parking pass of $20, according to Federal Realty.

Federal Realty pointed out that when parking isn’t regulated or payments aren’t required, motorists have less incentive to move their vehicles over a long period.

Over the last two-plus years, the excess flow of vehicles into the Santana Row parking garages appears to have taken gobbled up spaces that customers and workers at Valley Fair sought to use.

“Our goal is to provide an easy, hassle-free parking experience for our customers who want to shop, dine, and enjoy Santana Row,” Navarette said.