Controversial offer for city-owned parking deck withdrawn
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A bid by a private company to buy the city-owned Wilmington Street parking deck has been withdrawn.
Why it matters: The potential sale of the deck, whose free two-hour parking is popular with downtown visitors, especially those visiting the Marbles Kids Museum, was met with significant pushback from the downtown business community.
- But the question of what the city should do with its parking decks, which lose money for the city and need repair work, remains.
Driving the news: City Council was set to consider a $15.4 million bid from Gold Crown Management Co. for the deck at its Tuesday meeting.
- However, the bid was withdrawn last week, a city spokesperson said.
What they're saying: "We recognize that the offer created a lot of conversation in the community. We also recognize that this offer potentially provided opportunities to address the City's stated goal to improve the financial stability of our parking program," Julia Milstead, a spokesperson for the city, said in a statement.
- "As the city grows, we continue to look for efficiencies in our systems so that our residents' tax dollars deliver the highest level of services for the city."
Between the lines: Businesses have said the city-owned parking decks — and the two-hour free parking that has been offered since 2024 — remain a critical component of getting visitors back to downtown during its post-pandemic recovery.
What's next: The city is conducting a study of its parking operations in downtown Raleigh, which could inform the council's ultimate decisions when it is completed.