Changes to downtown parking landscape underway ahead of new rates
Press release from City of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – New parking signs and solar-powered pay stations are being installed throughout Downtown Gainesville during the next few weeks in advance of new weekday parking rates, effective in mid-August.
The new rates, approved by the Gainesville City Commission in March, are designed to stimulate turnover of high-demand spaces in the heart of downtown as well as encourage drivers to find less expensive and long-term parking spaces farther away.
Five new solar-powered pay stations are being installed; a sixth is located in the SW Parking Garage at 105 SW 3rd St. All pay stations will accept both coins and credit cards for parking in any downtown parking zone. Drivers also can pay for parking online, via the PassportParking® app or by calling 352-290-3700.
Downtown parking remains free on weekends and on City-observed holidays – except for spaces in the municipal parking garage.
New weekday rates will include:
- $0.50/hour with a 2-hour time limit for on-street spaces in the center of downtown, weekdays
- $0.25/hour – or free – with no time limit outside the downtown core, weekdays
- $0.50/hour – or free – with no time limit for off-street lot parking, weekdays
- SW parking garage: $0.50/hour with no time limit. Permits available at monthly ($40) or quarterly ($100) rates
- Employees of downtown businesses may purchase a discounted monthly permit at $20/mo.
Enforcement of the new rates begins in mid-September. An educational grace period in August will help familiarize drivers with new rates, the new pay stations, and existing parking zones.
Visit gainesvillefl.gov/parking for an interactive map and additional information.
“The new rates, approved by the Gainesville City Commission in March, are designed to stimulate turnover of high-demand spaces in the heart of downtown as well as encourage drivers to find less expensive and long-term parking spaces farther away.”
I’m pretty sure they’ll do just that. Unfortunately, it’s likely the businesses that will suffer.
On the bright side, the homeless will have more room to camp.
The parking ticket person needs to do the street parking close to UF…
There have been vans/camper vans over the last year that park where there’s supposed to be decal parking and not getting ticketed…
Street parking is not a campground!
There’s expired tags on cars parked in the street that needs tickets too!
All those tall apartments they’ve built have taken street parking, those bike lanes have taken street parking, and one-waying of streets near UF has taken parking away.
If you have a full size pick up truck, it’s like they make parking spots for subcompact size cars.
They need to have a bum finder to make the panhandlers and vagrants move-on…there’s been a vagrant in the old Wells Fargo drive thru for months & downtown.
Can they do something about this?
Isn’t this why we created Grace mkt to get the panhandling vagrants out of downtown?
No, GRACE Marketplace was created as a way for corrupt local politicians to launder money.
Tax dollars are diverted to GRACE, and then completely disappear without any measurable results or accountability.
Goodbye downtown Gainesville.
Gosh I hope businesses still have left over ARPA loans. If they can pay that back, of course.
Once again city hall revamps downtown & neighborhood parking to ‘stimulate’ use of less parked areas.
A new title for the old problem. During my 28 years with the city, it was inevitable that city hall would shuffle the deck in hopes of generating loads of cash from metered & decal areas.
And as usual it never happened. Do away with all the parking meters and decals.
With pay stations (that didn’t work out the first time around) a block away from some spots, how will they handle handicap parking? The whole purpose is so people unable to walk very far could park close to the business they wanted to visit.
I remember a photo of the A&P on SW 6th St and 4th Ave. One entire side of the building was painted with the words, “FREE PARKING” and “AIR CONDITIONING”. Apparently people have been rejecting the “walkable city” nonsense for decades.
Ah well, those who don’t learn from history… somehow keep getting elected.
Downtown? Who wants to go there? To be panhandled and assaulted after dark? Good luck trying to maintain a decent tax base as businesses can’t keep up with the increased costs, taxes, utilities, and decreased customer base.
This is stupid. I’d like to see what the take is on metered parking downtown and balance that against helping downtown businesses stay alive.
City commission is desperate for cash. This is their equivalence of tossing the sofa for loose change.
I spoke to a business owner downtown where they propose 2 hour parking. So what happens if you want to have drinks and dinner before going to see a play at the Hippodrome. You have to move your car?
Parking garage
Not sure why everyone is complaining. It will keep all the apartment dwellers (and other folks that use those spaces long-term) from grabbing all the spots and never moving.