Paid parking is back for downtown Auburn.
People visiting the downtown area will now need to pay one dollar per hour for on-street parking. Speaking on FLX Morning, City Clerk Chuck Mason said the parking garage will remain free a little longer though.
“The parking garage here in downtown Auburn will remain free for the next six weeks, so you still have the opportunity to park for free at the downtown parking lot through at least mid-November,” Mason said.
When paid parking fully returns, Mason adds that the upper levels of the garage will still allow for two hours of free parking. After those two parking costs the standard fee of one dollar per hour.
Kiosks can be found throughout the downtown area. Upon paying with either coin or credit card, visitors will receive a printed ticket that needs to be displayed on their dashboard.
Other spots still maintain the older style parking meters.
Free downtown parking was established in 2021 to increase business in the area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan covered the revenue lost by not charging people to park downtown.
Stephanie DeVito, Executive Director of the Auburn Downtown BID, previously told Finger Lakes News Radio that businesses were split on the issue of whether or not to bring back paid parking. According to her, some felt free parking incentivized people to shop at their stores while others complained that cars would park over the free two-hour limit, preventing new customers from finding convenient parking.
The city is increasing its courtesy ticket program. If one hasn’t had a parking ticket in the previous 90 days, one will receive a courtesy ticket, meaning one won’t have to pay a fee.
