Free, unlimited Saturday parking is about to be eliminated

Why it matters: Until now, Richmonders have enjoyed penalty-free, no-limit street parking on weekends in every part of town that has weekday limits.

• Tickets for exceeding parking time limits start at $25 and increase by $10 after 15 days and again after 30 days if not paid.

The city collected just over $4.5 million in parking citation fees for fiscal year 2022, John Everett, an analyst with Public Works, tells Axios.

Details: The Saturday enforcement will be for most of the Central Business District, from Belvidere to I-95 and Leigh to Broad streets.

• And in Scott's Addition, on Arthur Ashe Boulevard from Broad to Moore streets.

The intrigue: An initial announcement shared by the city on Facebook last week showed a larger part of the downtown included in the enforcement area, extending to Franklin Street.

Driving the news: Business owners in those areas requested the additional enforcement, Everett said.

The other side: Some business owners in the new enforcement areas tell Axios they’re opposed to the changes.

• "I have never had any of my tenants on the Boulevard ask for this," Charlie Dirdour, who owns multiple properties on the stretch, tells Axios.

Of note: Two-hour parking is from 8am-6pm. Sundays will continue to have no enforcement.