Starting today, June 23, parking at Raley’s Village Center is limited to only customers for that shopping complex — and anyone who is seen walking to Heavenly Village or to other shops will be ticketed or towed.

“On the Raley’s side of the parking lot, 80 percent of the cars are from people parking and walking to Heavenly Village,” said Terry Hackett, managing partner of Tahoe Crescent Partnership (TCP), which owns the shopping center. It’s hurting the businesses in Raley’s Village Center, he added.

South Lake Tahoe City Council approved the amendment to the current parking agreement between the city and TCP on June 6, and now the front lot at the Raley’s Village Center will be limited to two-hour parking for customers and tenants of that shopping center alone. Anyone who exceeds that time limit or is seen walking to shops elsewhere will face a to-be-determined fine or possible towing.

“We are doubling and tripling security at certain times of the year to protect our tenants,” said Hackett. “We don’t want people parking then leaving their car for eight hours while they go snowboarding at Heavenly.”

Security guards will be patrolling the area and marking tires to keep tabs on how long cars have been parked there.

Paid public parking, however, is available in the back section of the Raley’s Village Center.