New Court Expected to Boost Parking Revenue

Offering one of the first examples of how a new federal courthouse will benefit Santa Ana, officials said this week they expect to earn an extra $50,000 a month from courthouse employees and visitors using city parking garages.

The Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse, expected to open in about a year, will have 212 parking spots, which are reserved for government-owned vehicles and judges, said Mary Filippini, spokeswoman for the U.S. General Services Administration, which is overseeing the courthouse project.

The federal courthouse, however, is expected to employ about 600 people and have about the same number of visitors each day, local and federal officials said.

Federal law calls for a relatively small number of parking spaces to save the government money on parking lot construction and to allow local municipalities or businesses to earn a profit, Filippini said.