Parking is about to be more expensive in Columbia. Here’s how much more you’ll be paying
Parking will be more expensive in Columbia next year. Columbia City Council Tuesday finalized a plan to increase parking rates, parking tickets and other fees associated with parking in the city.
Council members have previously said parking rates haven’t been adjusted in the current system’s lifetime, or about 20 years.
Among the changes are:
- On-street parking: going from $0.75 per hour to $1.50 per hour.
- Daily meter reservation: going from $10 to $25
- Residential owner-occupant vehicle permit: going from $5 per vehicle to $30 per vehicle.
- Tickets for expired/unpaid meters: going from $8 to $25.
With the new rates, the city stands to raise millions of dollars over the next several years, which will be used to further improve parking equipment, garages and other elements of the parking system in the city.
The new plan also calls for new equipment that will eventually replace coin-operated meters around the city.
The new rules passed 6-1, with at-large council member Aditi Bussells voting against the measure. Bussells opposed the plan because she wanted more focus on walkability and worried about the impacts on local businesses, among other concerns, she wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month.
An earlier version of the plan called for much higher parking rates, including $2 hourly street parking. During the measure’s first reading in November, city council members listened for an hour to testimony from residents representing homeowners, business owners, hospitality workers and others who worried the city’s proposed changes to the parking system would have unintended consequences across the city.
Multiple business owners said the increase in parking rates would be detrimental to their employees, who often look for street parking to avoid using parking garages late at night.
The city then walked back its plan and agreed to lower some rates. The city will also work with the business community to find a solution for hospitality workers who worry about safety when using the parking garages.
The new rates will go into effect March 1, giving people time to adjust to new equipment that will be installed in coming months.
Leaders have in the past called Columbia “a city of parking lots,” and have promised to work on reducing dated surface lots in addition to improving garages and the equipment for on-street parking.
In 2022, the council stripped certain parking requirements for some commercial buildings, reducing the number of parking spots required of small businesses.
During the meeting Tuesday, Rickenmann hearkened back to those efforts, saying that downtown still has a lot of unused parking.
“Now we’ve got an opportunity to be bold and different and new,” he said. He imagines high-tech upgrades to the system, like digital billboards on garages showing how many open spots are available, like other cities have.
To see all of the parking rates passed in the new ordinance, visit parking.columbiasc.gov.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 11:21 AM.
