This post was updated Oct. 7 at 11:19 p.m. 

Westwood’s Broxton parking structure has ended its two-hour free parking policy.

Effective Aug. 1, the structure changed from providing two hours of free parking to charging $2 every 20 minutes, with a daily maximum of $15. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation decided this as part of its plan to remove all free parking in its lots across the city, making this the first parking fee raise in the district in 25 years.

This change has raised concerns among business owners in Westwood, many of whom rely on convenient and affordable parking to attract customers. Mark Perry, the owner of Diddy Riese, said the grace period benefited his business.

“I think the two hours free really brought people in as an incentive to come into Westwood,” Perry said. “Given the circumstances of the economy … I think it’s really a bad move to charge them.”

Amid these concerns, many business owners are advocating for the Broxton structure to remain exempt from the changes.

Steven Sann, chairman of the Westwood Community Council, said beginning in the 1960s, Westwood’s thriving movie scene increased demand for parking in the area. This popularity led to the installation of parking meters across the neighborhood. Council members at the time used the money generated from the meters to buy the land on which the Broxton parking structure was eventually built.

The council members then pushed for a multilevel parking garage to be built as opposed to a surface-level lot, increasing the potential number of spaces from around 100 to 400, Sann added. The council raised the cost of parking meter rates around the neighborhood to fund the project.

“That Broxton garage, while it is owned by the city, it was never – and it is not – a gift to the Westwood Village community from the city of Los Angeles,” Sann said. “That garage has been paid for – every penny – painstakingly by the businesses, the merchants and the customers of Westwood going back 60 or 70 years.”

Parking limitations in Westwood have historically been an issue for many shoppers.

Visitors coming to Westwood have raised complaints since the 1980s, according to the LA Times, citing that the neighborhood’s limited parking options make it difficult for shoppers to leisurely spend time and enjoy the area’s attractions.

Sann said city officials previously tried to reduce free parking to one hour in the early 2000s, but resident and business owner pushback led the city to terminate the plan.

For this recent removal of free parking, surrounding business owners were not informed about the change until after it had already taken effect, said David Friedman, owner of Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers.

Although the Department of Transportation sent its official city report recommending the increase to the Board of Transportation Commissioners in June, Westwood business owners only learned of the change when it went into effect in August, alongside the public.

This price increase, while only directly impacting city structures, is certain to increase neighboring private lots, said Clinton Schudy, the owner of Oakley’s Barber Shop.

“Surrounding parking lots adjust their rates according to whatever the city lots do,” Schudy said. “It’s going to raise all the rates for all the other parking lots around here.”

Aubrey Yarbrough, director of community development for Westwood farmers market Farm Habit, said she noticed a decline in traffic at the Broxton garage.

“I stood in front of the parking lot … and watched U-turn after U-turn,” Yarbrough said. “I frequently park in that lot, and recently, I’ve had to turn away and park elsewhere.”

Many Westwood community members and business owners are attempting to receive an exemption from the city’s order or appeal for a smaller price increase, according to Farm Habit’s website and the Westwood Village Instagram.

Luis Lopez, the creative director of the Bruin Flea market, said he believes a middle ground could be found between two hours of free parking and $6 per hour, adding that the city’s decision raises costs for customers and hinders the accessibility of the area.

Schudy said the price increase ignores the garage’s original purpose.

“They should carve out some exception for us because they didn’t even pay for that lot,” Schudy said. “The merchants in the area paid for that lot to be built, and they are running it and making money off of it – so they should be able to give us some free parking time and not make the rates so astronomical, as they have raised them to.”

Beyond the structure’s financial history, many of the business owners said the exemption should be made due to its proximity to Broxton Plaza, the largest pedestrian-only plaza in LA.

Yarbrough said these new restrictions make it harder for farmers to load and transport produce to customers’ cars in the parking garage. Westwood business owners, including small business owners and farmers, said they fear higher parking rates will cut into sales.

Other business owners said the hike in parking rates is a symptom of deeper challenges facing Westwood.

“I don’t think that, like I said, nickel-and-diming people over parking fees is going to make that big of a dent in the issues,” Friedman said. “There are more pressing underlying issues that need to be rectified to make it a business-friendly environment.”

Westwood business owners said parking availability directly impacts how accessible Broxton Plaza is for visitors and their businesses.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for two hours of free parking,” Yarbrough said. “I want the two free hours back. I understand if there needs to be an adjustment of pricing beyond that, but I think that this hike was drastic.”