Why downtown San Jose shoppers lost this validated parking
07/20/2016 | By Scott Herhold, sherhold@bayareanewsgroup.com | The Mercury News
For several years now, Margie Bennett, a teacher who lives in the Naglee Park neighborhood of San Jose, has enjoyed shopping at the downtown Safeway, a midsized store on the ground floor of a high-rise at Second and San Fernando streets.
It hasn’t been without misgivings. Bennett remembers the Zanotto’s downtown store, a forerunner forced to close after Safeway opened with public help in 2009. But she has grown to like Safeway’s short lines, good service and validated parking in the underground garage next door.
Now that last privilege is gone, and Bennett is upset. The garage no longer offers validated parking. The charge now, advertised in a note as you enter, is $4 per hour, or $1 for 15 minutes.
