Students may be having trouble nabbing a parking spot at the Warner Street and West Sacramento Avenue lot since the University Police removed one row of general parking due to an increase in first-year housing residents.

University Housing and Food Services made a request to increase the parking stalls for dorm students this semester and it was granted by the University Police.

“Last year the lot had usage at approximately three-fourths full,” wrote University Police Chief Robyn Hearne in an email to the Orion. “Since we have more freshmen students this year and housing is full, the decision was to grant this request for this year only.”

The total number of students living in the dorms this year is 2,150 and approximately 1,950 of them are first-time first-years, wrote David Stephen, director of University Housing and Food Services in an email to The Orion.

Debbie Reed, University Police dispatcher, said students can’t always park wherever they want so they will have to find parking spots in other lots.

According to the Parking Decal and Permit Sales page, a general parking permit costs $121 per semester and on-campus housing parking permits cost $191 per semester.

“Buying the parking permit provides them with a spot but sometimes people want to park in a specific lot and we can’t guarantee them a space there,” Reed said. “They would have to go find another spot in another lot.”

Ben Liwanag, a sophomore agriculture major, said he has had a problem finding places to park in the Warner Street and West Sacramento Avenue lot. He has had to park on the street and pay the parking meter.

“I leave my house about 40 minutes early to get a parking spot but there have been several times where I couldn’t find any,” he said. “Why am I going to spend $120 when there is no parking anywhere?”

Jovanna Garcia can be reached at [email protected] or Jo_Garcia19 on Twitter.