Port Officials Cut First Check for Ballpark

SAN DIEGO-The first $11 million installment of money promised for the $450 million Downtown ballpark project is in the bank.

The Port District is spending $11 million to buy four blocks from the city to be used for parking lots serving the Convention Center and the ballpark. The remaining $10 million will be paid to the city in quarterly installments over nearly three years.

The city will pave, stripe, light and fence the parking lots, known collectively as Tailgate Park, before turning them over to the port. The East Village lots will provide parking for 800 cars, addressing what the port says is a critical parking shortage at the Convention Center.