As the Fayetteville City Council considers raising downtown parking prices and extending the hours that people have to pay for parking, the Downtown Alliance business organization is asking members of the public for their thoughts.
People can click or tap this link to fill out the survey. The results are to be given to the city.
The prices and hours of paid downtown parking have been points of contention for years. The city wants revenue to cover expenses for its public parking lots, its two parking decks, and its on-street parking spaces, while downtown businesses don’t want parking prices to push customers away. Parking is free in most of the rest of the Fayetteville area.
The Downtown Alliance survey comes in response to parking price increases the city staff proposed in November. Some of the ideas:
- Boost the hourly rate for on-street parking from $1 per hour to $1.50 per hour. (This does not include a 35-cent transaction fee.) The higher on-street price is intended to encourage people to use the parking lots and parking decks, which would remain at $1 per hour.
- Charge the hourly rate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Currently the hours of paid parking are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The additional hours would increase parking revenue.
- Boost the special event parking fee at the Hay Street Parking Deck by Segra Stadium to $10 per day. It’s currently $5 per day and would remain $5 per day elsewhere downtown, to encourage people to use the cheaper locations. The special event parking rate is charged during downtown activities like festivals and Woodpeckers baseball games.
Downtown businesses weigh in
The Downtown Alliance, an organization of downtown businesses, met on Wednesday with Brian McGill, who oversees parking services for the city, Downtown Alliance President Isabella Effon told CityView via text message.
“A robust conversation ensued, with participants voicing their concerns about the potential impact on customer traffic, employee accessibility, and downtown’s overall economic vitality,” Effon said. “Attendees shared firsthand experiences and data, while McGill provided insight into the reasoning behind the proposed changes and answered questions.
“The discussion was dynamic and constructive, highlighting both the challenges and possible solutions for balancing revenue generation with the needs of downtown businesses and visitors,” she said.
Taxpayers underwrite downtown parking costs
The city has spent more on downtown parking than the revenues it received from parking fees and parking tickets, a city document says. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the city spent $1.3 million on downtown parking while revenues totaled about $731,000. The parking program had a net loss of nearly $572,000.
Some of the costs with the parking lots and parking decks include daily trash pickup, repairs, painting and other maintenance, graffiti removal, snow removal and ice abatement, and elevator repair and maintenance.
Councilmember Davis seeks ‘win-win’
In the summer, the city council reduced the hours of paid parking downtown. The hours had been from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, and they were changed to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Downtown businesses were concerned that the requirement to pay for parking after 5 p.m. — after work hours — was driving customers away, District 2 Fayetteville City Council member Malik Davis told CityView. Davis’ district includes the downtown area.
The Downtown Alliance celebrated the decision in its July newsletter.
“Since the beginning, the Downtown Alliance has led the charge to lessen the impact of paid parking enforcement on our customers and businesses,” the newsletter says. “We have come a long way since the 2019 ordinance that created street paid parking from Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Great job everyone!”
Parking fees won’t go away, Davis said. He is hopeful that the city will find a way to handle the parking needs and expenses that works for the city, the businesses and downtown patrons.
“I would like to see it be a win-win for everyone,” he said.
Davis did not have an estimate for when the city council will make its next decision on parking fees. “Just be patient with us, and we’re just trying to make some change that’s profitable for all of us,” he said.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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I think parking fees should be eliminated
Parking fees are one of the main reasons businesses left downtown years ago for the mall area . It’s hard enough to encourage people to come downtown as it is, don’t make it worse!
Two points:
1- Perhaps the Council should start with ensuring that the parking kiosks work. Having kiosks that have been broken for years is not a good look.
2- Why is there no handicap street parking? People w/disabilities have to search out parking, then search out kiosks & then go to the place to which they seek to do business. It’s not right.