Any Southern California resident who has attended an event at any of the major arenas or stadiums in Los Angeles or Orange County can only dream of entering the parking area without having to pull out a credit card, parking pass or show a QR code on your phone.
But that is what is planned for the Honda Center in Anaheim, which will also host indoor volleyball during the 2028 Olympic Games.
On Wednesday, OC Sports and Entertainment announced a privately-funded $1.1 billion renovation of the arena and the surrounding area which will add multiple amenities while the arena continued to operate, to be completed by the end of 2027, including:
● “A new five-story South Entrance with a grand arrival experience and future plans for a high-impact digital display for outdoor viewing and community events.”
● “Three new parking garages with over 6,000 stalls.”
● “Four new entry plazas, each with a unique aesthetic and gathering vibe.”
Escalators will be installed for the first time in the building and new food and beverage stands – including self-service – will be added, along with renovations of the club and suite levels.
The parking concept is part of a larger plan for the 100-plus acres around the arena, being redeveloped at a cost of $4 billion into “OCVibe,” a mixed-use development of housing, hotels, restaurants, performance venues, offices, parkland and a transit hub, with the first elements scheduled to open in 2026.
Bill Foltz, chief executive officer of OC Sports and Entertainment, explained:
“What we’re trying to do is eliminate that transaction that everybody has when you’re pulling into a parking lot. You are just going to pull in. …
“We think this will get people in 20 to 30 minutes faster.
“Parking is the first thing you see when you are coming to a concert or a sporting event, and getting out of there is the last thing you remember. So we are working really hard to make sure both of those things are great experiences.”
It was noted that parking revenue will not simply evaporate, but Foltz said that the parking fee will end up as part of an “all-inclusive” ticket price. But the theory is that if you come for a game or a concert, you’ll come early or stay late for meals or a drink. And for those using public transit, a full-service transit hub is planned to serve the entire OC Vibe campus.
Whether this applies specifically to the 2028 Olympic Games is not clear, as the LA28 organizers will have a lot to say about how tickets and parking are handled. But the future for all other events at the Honda Center appears set.
Related to the 2028 Olympic Games, the Honda Center is the only major Orange County venue in the plan at present; the surfing site at the Tresles Beach might end up in Orange County or San Diego County depending on the exact site chosen, with seating for perhaps 4,000 or so.
As the only OrCo site, it is not part of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ride-first program for the 2028 Games. But both Metro and OC Vibe are looking forward to attaching transit funding to tickets.
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That brings us back to the State of California and Assembly Bill 1237, introduced in February to impact only Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties and their public transit operators – including L.A. Metro – as follows (identical language for Santa Clara also included):
“This bill would authorize LA Metro to impose a charge of up to $5 on the purchaser of a ticket from a ticket vendor to a sporting event in the County of Los Angeles held as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as specified.
“The bill would require LA Metro to use any revenues collected from the charge to support its transit operations. The bill would require LA Metro, if it imposes the charge, to allow any person to use its transit services at no charge on the day a match is held as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the person presents a ticket to the match at the location where LA Metro collects fares for transit services.
“The bill would require LA Metro, if it imposes the charge, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027, that includes specified information regarding implementation of the bill.”
For now, this only applies to the FIFA World Cup, but if successful, can easily be amended to also include the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. At present, the bill has passed the Assembly Transportation Committee, 12-3 (one did not vote) on 7 April, and the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee by 6-1 (two did not vote) on 22 April. It is scheduled for its third reading in the Assembly on 30 April.
No companion bill has been concurrently introduced in the State Senate.
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For reference, at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Rapid Transit District – forerunner of today’s Metro – organized special service to nine sites, including Exposition Park, Dodger Stadium, the Forum, Long Beach Convention Center, Loyola Marymount University, the Rose Bowl, Santa Anita Park, UCLA and even to the Anaheim Convention Center, with varying styles of service: shuttles ($2 each way), express ($4 or $6 each way) and park-and-ride ($6 each way).
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