ROSWELL, Ga. — Business owners and patrons are fighting the city’s plans to charge for parking in downtown Roswell, saying it could steer visitors away from the popular dining and shopping district.
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“Once you start charging for parking, it sends a pretty clear message that you’re not welcome here,” said Ryan Pernice, owner of Table and Main, a restaurant on Canton Street.
He’s leading the charge to keep parking free in downtown Roswell, saying paid spaces could convince visitors to take their business elsewhere.
“The businesses need free parking to stay competitive with all the sister cities around us who already offer free parking,” he said. “Just up the road in Alpharetta, there are multiple free parking decks.”
The paid parking comes as Roswell is set to open its 395-space parking deck on Green Street. It was funded through a $20 million bond referendum passed in 2022. Former mayor Kurt Wilson said it would be free for Roswell residents, but operating it is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
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City council member Christine Hall said that revenue has to come from somewhere.
“There are operations that it takes to run the parking deck,” she said. “There’s electricity, there’s cleaning, there’s maintenance. There will be an elevator in there. Somebody has to pay for that.”
In a 4-to-2 vote, council members decided to charge for parking at the deck and at spaces downtown. Parking at the deck will be free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and hourly rates will run from a dollar to $5 during evenings and weekends. That rate also applies to on-street parking in downtown.
“It sucks to pay extra money for parking,” said Roswell resident Angel Winters. “I mean, parking’s tight down here as it is.”
Brian Lord, who also lives in Roswell and is a frequent visitor to Canton Street, said free parking makes good business sense.
“I think it’s going to encourage more people to come into town and use the parking that’s here and benefit the restaurants and the shops that are around,” he said.
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The paid parking is a pilot program that runs from May until Dec. 31, after which city officials will look at the data and reassess. Critics of the paid parking plan are planning to pack a March 30 city council meeting in hopes of putting the brakes on the plan.