Plan may be curveball for Giants fans

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Beer and hot dogs are staples at baseball games. For Giants fans, so is $30 parking, a new study reveals.

That’s why team officials are concerned about plans to develop the 2,210-space parking lot — known as Lot A — near the stadium.

According to post-game surveys conducted by team officials, more than half of the fans surveyed who attended Giants home games from late July until mid-August this year drove to the game in a car or charter bus.

Of the 1,300 fans who participated in the survey, two-fifths said they would see fewer games if parking became more difficult. Half said they would see fewer games if parking became more expensive.

“With kids it is easy to drive and park,” one fan wrote on their survey. “They tend to fall asleep.”

The Port of San Francisco is looking at development opportunities for the 16-acre lot south of AT&T stadium, called Seawall Lot 337, and there is “significant interest” among developers in the project, according to Diane Oshima, the Port’s waterfront planning manager.

Developers have until Valentine’s Day to submit applications to redevelop the site — the largest vacant parcel in Mission Bay, according to Oshima.

Information about the survey will be included in a presentation about the transportation and parking needs associated with the development of Seawall Lot 337 at today’s Port Commission meeting.

Seawall Lot 337 is leased to the Giants by the Port under an agreement due to expire in late 2009. The Giants charge $30 to park in the lot. Parking is also available for buses.

“Seawall Lot 337 is of critical importance to us,” Giants general counsel Jack Bair said. “It’s imperative that development of that site contain parking.”

Up to 731 spaces could also be lost at the adjoining Pier 48, according to Port documents.

As many as 44,000 people attend each Giants home game, according to Bair. He said he wants the Port to include a parking lot for at least 2,000 cars in the new project, if it moves forward.

Taking parking away from Seawall Lot 337 would still leave parking available for those who drive to Giants games, according to a separate parking study completed for the Port of San Francisco.

Between 2,000 and 5,000 of the roughly 10,000 parking spots at private lots within a 15-minute walk of the stadium were empty during game times, the Port’s study found. Game day prices in those lots ranged from $10 to $50, the study found.

Game-bound

Results of survey conducted by team officials of 1,300 attendees at six games from late July until mid-August 2007.

Car or charter bus 53%

BART 13%

Muni 11%

Caltrain 11%

Ferry 7%

Walk or bike 5%

Taxi 1%

Source: San Francisco Giants

jupton@examiner.com

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