Sacramento Weighs Slashing Evening, Weekend Free Parking Hours, Raising Rates

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The cost of parking in Downtown or Midtown Sacramento could be going up under a new plan floated by the city.

The change in parking policies includes eliminating free Sundays and pushing back free parking hours from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The city says it needs city parking revenue to help pay for the Golden 1 Center, but some are taken aback by just how drastic the changes in parking could be.

For years, parking has been $1.25 an hour with free parking after 6 p.m., or on Sundays and holidays in most areas. But all of that could change with ideas of monitoring meters as late as 2 a.m.

"There's discussion about parking enforcement in the evenings, on Sundays and also on holidays, and we're not sure where the proposal currently sits is in the best interest of our businesses," said Emily Baime Michaels with the Midtown Business Association.

She says talks of extending meter hours in Midtown is not something her group will support, but she does understand the city raising rates from $1.25 to $1.75 an hour.

"We are supportive of a potential increase if needed," she said.

Business owners like Azul Mexican Food's Jose Luis Urrola says changing the hours could have a negative effect on businesses.

"I think a lot of people who just say, 'You know what? Let's just go somewhere else where we can just park for free,'" he said.

Black Butterfly Salon owner Bobbie Blackstone says the move would be a step backwards.

"It's going to be the same attitude that it was years ago; nobody wants to go to Midtown; nobody wants to go to Downtown; it cost too much," she said.

The city will come up with a final proposal in the coming weeks.