Free parking in downtown Greensboro has been shrinking for years, but the latest move by the City of Greensboro makes it worse – much more of what used to be easy, free parking is about to cost you money.

The city, playing the Grinch, announced just before Christmas that several downtown surface parking lots will become paid parking beginning in 2026.  This is in keeping with recommendations from the City of Greensboro’s Downtown Parking Plan that was created in 2024.

The affected lots include the Elm/Greene, Elm/McGee and Elm/MLK paved lots, along with the South Elm gravel lot.

Under the new parking world order in downtown, the South Elm gravel lot will cost $3 per day, while all paved city surface lots will cost $2 per hour – in some cases that’s an increase of 50 cents an hour from current rates.

Payment will be required for parking Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Parking will remain free after 6 p.m. and on weekends.

Also, payment will no longer be coin based. Instead, drivers will have to use the ParkMobile app or pay by phone as the city continues its move away from traditional coin-based meters.

For people without smartphones – or for those who simply don’t want yet another app on their phone – that change alone will be something a headache: What used to require a handful of quarters now requires a phone, an account and a reliable data connection.

City officials say that the goal is to improve parking efficiency and increase turnover in high-demand areas. However, many downtown visitors are likely to experience it as one more obstacle in an area that’s already become increasingly difficult to park in. Many people dread going downtown during the day due to the scarcity of parking.

That difficulty has been building for years. Downtown Greensboro has added apartments, offices and restaurants, while the supply of easy surface parking has steadily declined. Longtime free lots have disappeared; street parking has become more tightly regulated and enforcement has grown more aggressive.

The situation worsened this year when the Bellemeade Street Parking Deck in downtown Greensboro was closed after structural problems were discovered, abruptly removing hundreds of parking spaces from the system. That closure pushed more cars into already crowded surface lots and made finding parking downtown a daily frustration for workers, residents and visitors alike.

The vast about of road repairs, construction and renovation projects going on downtown have also eaten up available parking.

Parking enforcement in the newly paid lots will begin on Friday, Jan. 2 – with officers initially focusing on education as the new rules roll out.

City officials stated that anyone with questions – or those interested in monthly parking – should contact the City of Greensboro Parking Operations office.

Downtown Greensboro has spent years trying to attract people back to the city center. Restaurants, events and housing have all helped. However, parking remains one of downtown’s most persistent and acute problems.

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