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City Council Approves Extension of Half Price Parking

Cedar Rapids City Council has approved a temporary extension of half price monthly parking in downtown Cedar Rapids during their June 22 session.

To encourage businesses to return downtown post-flood, the City Council passed two resolutions in October 2008 that concurrently raised monthly parking rates to $60/month and then cut those rates by half to $30/month. The temporary extension will keep rates at half price for approximately the next 60 days while an agreement is negotiated to transfer strategic oversight of the parking system from the City to the Cedar Rapids Downtown District. The management transfer is the first “Primary Action Item” in the Parking Strategic Action Plan that was approved by Council on April 27.

Once a management agreement is finalized, the Cedar Rapids Downtown District will move forward with implementation of additional recommendations laid out in the Strategic Parking Action Plan. Top priority will be moving to a monthly rate structure that offers a variety of price points to monthly parkers while also defining a graduated rate schedule sensitive to downtown revitalization efforts.

Without last night’s Council decision, parking rates would have returned to full price, $60/month, beginning July 1. The Council voted 8-1 to extend the half price rates for 90 days or until the parking system is turned over to the Cedar Rapids Downtown District.

The Parking Strategic Action Plan can be viewed on the Cedar Rapids Downtown District website www.downtowncr.org.