No more free Saturday parking in uptown, South End with proposed Charlotte price hikes
Parking in Charlotte’s uptown and South End might get more expensive.
The city’s proposed $3.2 billion budget includes a 50% increase for the hourly rate of street parking in both areas, bumping the cost up from $1 an hour to $1.50.
The change would also eliminate free parking on Saturdays for uptown and South End. Sunday will still be free.
The budget still needs approval from City Council, and the vote is scheduled for May 31. The 2023 fiscal year starts on July 1. The parking fee increase, if approved, will also occur in early July.
Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said the council will review how the city can balance its need for transportation funding with the burden of increasing parking rates. She said the needs of some workers, particularly those who work in restaurants and retail, have to be taken into account before the council takes its vote.
“We want to make sure we are investing in our infrastructure, keeping people safe but also ensuring that we are not pricing people out,” Ajmera said. “We have to strike that balance, and that will be part of our budget discussion.”
The increase could generate about $700,000 annually for the city, City Manager Marcus Jones told reporters on Monday.
He said the city will use the revenue to offset a decline in funding from the state for street improvement projects. The city hasn’t increased street parking rates in either area since the late ‘90s, he said.
The increase isn’t enough to match inflation between 1997 and now, city officials said.
“You could park Friday at 5, stay in a spot until basically Monday morning,” Jones said. “In order to provide for ... more turnover of spaces, that’s helpful.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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