Drivers Could Pay More for Parking in Downtown Tucson Under New Plan

TUCSON, AZ — Parking in downtown Tucson is about to get a closer look from the city council and potentially a bit more expensive.

Council members are set to consider a modified citywide parking rate plan this week that would raise hourly meter rates from $1 to $1.50 and bump garage and surface lot hourly rates from $1 to $1.25.

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The Depot Garage weekend and evening flat rate would increase by $1, and residential parking permits would go up $8 to $10 per year.

The proposal is a scaled-back version of a more aggressive plan that drew pushback earlier this year. At a January public hearing, the mayor and council voted to pump the brakes on the original proposal, delaying it 90 days to allow for additional community input.

That earlier plan would have also extended meter enforcement hours to include Sundays and kept meters running until 10 p.m. — changes that are no longer on the table.

Under the current proposal, meter enforcement hours would stay the same: Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Fourth Avenue district would remain on its own more limited schedule, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., until the Downtown Links Project is complete.

The financial pressure driving the proposal is real.

Park Tucson, the division that manages the city's parking system, operates as a special revenue fund meant to cover its own costs, but it hasn't been breaking even.

The fund started the current fiscal year already in the red at negative $185,546 and is on track to end it at negative $549,750. Without changes, projections show that deficit growing through 2031.

The division's costs span security guards and surveillance systems, elevator cleaning, garage lighting, meter and pay station repairs, and technology upgrades.

City officials say the current rates simply don't cover those expenses.

The proposed changes are projected to generate about $529,105 in new annual revenue. Combined with $107,758 from previously approved rate increases set to kick in after July 2026, the total new annual revenue would reach roughly $636,863.

The revised proposal reflects months of feedback gathered through town halls and engagement sessions with the Downtown Tucson Partnership, Fourth Avenue Merchants Association and Ward 6.

Residents and business owners raised consistent concerns: rates are already too high, time limits make it hard to linger downtown, available spots are hard to find, and facilities need better upkeep.

Downtown and Fourth Avenue workers also pushed back on the burden of finding affordable parking near their jobs. In response, city staff said they are working to partner with private property owners to dedicate spaces in private lots for employee monthly permits and to set aside spaces in city-owned surface lots for the same purpose.

The parking rate proposal is one of several items on the agenda this week.

Council members are also expected to review a proposed city budget of more than $2.4 billion that takes effect July 1, along with a compensation plan that includes police staffing increases.