Roswell sets $2-per-hour rate for downtown parking starting Friday

ROSWELL — Drivers heading to downtown Roswell will pay $2 per hour starting Friday at several on-street and surface parking spots, while a new nearby parking deck stays free for now.

What’s Happening: Paid parking begins May 15 at four locations in downtown Roswell. The rate is $2 per hour for up to six hours. After six hours, a flat daily cap of $16 applies. The paid spots are:

• Canton Street between Magnolia Street and Norcross Street
• Elizabeth Way between Canton Street and Alpharetta Highway
• East Alley between Canton Street and Norcross Street
• East Alley Parking Lot

Free option nearby: The city’s new downtown parking deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street, which opened May 4, is free while Green Street construction is underway. The deck has 394 spaces.

The construction: Green Street is closed between Cherry Way and Alpharetta Street for about six months. The stretch from Woodstock Road to Cherry Way is open but only for one-way southbound traffic. The project, called the Green Street Activation Plan, will permanently convert that stretch of Green Street to one-way southbound and add a brick-paved walking and biking trail, new lighting, and landscaping.

The pilot program: The paid parking is a trial run through December 31. The Roswell City Council voted 4-2 to launch it. The city is collecting data on how many people use each spot and when. In January 2027, the council will decide whether to make paid parking a permanent part of downtown.

What’s Important: The parking deck was built using money from a bond referendum — a vote in which residents approved borrowing money for the project. That bond did not cover the cost of maintaining the deck. The city has pointed to the paid parking program as a way to help cover that upkeep. Residents have pushed back, saying they already paid for the deck through their taxes. Council members Jennifer Phillippi and Chris Zack voted against the paid parking plan. Phillippi has asked city staff to bring back a proposal that would give drivers two hours free.

The Path Forward: The January 2027 council vote will determine whether the paid parking rates and locations stick. How much the program gets used — and how residents and businesses respond over the next seven months — will likely shape that decision. Paid parking was one of the issues that drove voter frustration in last year’s city elections, which brought in a new mayor and three new council members.