Last Updated on June 17, 2024 4:40 pm
After much discussion with downtown business owners and operators, as well as other users of downtown parking, the Boone Town Council has approved several changes to downtown Boone parking arrangements for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25. The following changes will take effect on July 1, 2024:
- Employers in the Downtown Boone Municipal Service District (MSD) now must provide a list of employees authorized to obtain a downtown employer/employee permit in a Town-owned parking lot. Employers are also encouraged to work with their own employees and the Town on direct employer purchase and “shared” use of the hangtags, which will eliminate misuse of the hangtags, improve the efficiency of distribution, and ease the cost burden on part-time employees.
- Jones House lot employee/employer permits will increase to $475 for the 2024-25 fiscal year. All other employee/employer permit prices (along Queen Street, $475; Upper Library Lot, $300; Elevated Queen Street Lot, $300) will remain the same for 2024-25. Additional hangtags for shared spaces will remain $10 each for FY 2024-25.
- After initially voting to eliminate Resident Permits, the Boone Town Council has reinstated Resident Permits for FY 2024-25 at a rate of $1,000 per permit. This compares favorably with other downtown (private) resident passes that cost as much as $1,400 for the full year. Resident permits are limited to residents of the MSD and must be acquired through downtown landlords or with proof of ownership of the MSD residence (e.g., the most recent tax bill). Reselling of permits by tenants is prohibited, and landlords are prohibited from charging tenants more than the base rate for the permit. Resident permits will be limited to no more than 65 spaces at the upper (northern) end of the elevated Queen Street lot; this limit will be reduced as demand warrants.
- Free construction passes have been eliminated. Construction permits will now cost $18 per day. They will be limited to vehicles used for tool access, dumpster parking, or closure of spaces to accommodate façade work necessitating a closed sidewalk. They will be limited to 3 per job site.
- While not located downtown, permit prices for the Daniel Boone Park lot (Horn in the West) have increased to $600 for August to May. Previous set regulations for the Daniel Boone Park lot will continue to be in effect, which include removing vehicles from the lot on Friday evenings and no parking on Saturdays.
- The per-violation fine for exceeding the time limit at downtown meters and kiosk lots will increase to $25.
- Two banks of three FREE, 30-minute parking spaces will be created near the Watauga County Courthouse and North Depot Street. These spaces will help facilitate takeout pick-up and quick errands. Fines and towing for exceeding the time limit will apply to these spaces. Appropriate signage will be installed as well to delineate these spaces.
To the extent permitted by law, additional revenues from these changes will be used to offset ongoing administrative and infrastructure costs of downtown parking and to facilitate the addition of employer/employee spaces at the Rivers House, hopefully by sometime in FY 2025-26.
Later this summer, the Town’s parking group will offer several public brainstorming sessions to explore other solutions to the ongoing challenges of parking downtown. Stay tuned for an announcement of those dates, which will be coming soon.
For more information regarding these changes in parking, please contact Town Hall at (828) 268-6200 or visit the Town of Boone’s website at www.townofboone.net/parking.
