Roswell leaders outline Green Street parking deck design and pause full rollout of paid parking plan

City of Roswell officials on March 31 presented the design for the voter-approved Green Street parking deck and said they will slow implementation of a broader downtown paid-parking rollout while staff refines technology, enforcement and revenue forecasts.

The presentation outlined the parking deck’s relationship to a larger Green Street activation plan that would create a pedestrian corridor linking Canton Street, Plum Tree Street and Southern Post, and explained how the deck’s architecture is intended to fit the surrounding historic district. Senior staff also said paid parking will remain limited, for now, to three existing locations — Canton Street, Elizabeth Way and East Alley — while the city studies resident-versus-nonresident technology and brings ordinances for enforcement back to council.

Sharon Izzo, who led the design presentation, said the deck will be treated architecturally on all four sides to better match nearby historic buildings and to provide openings and glass that allow natural light into levels that will be partially subterranean because of a 12-to-15-foot grade change across the site. Senior Vice President Jeff Leatherman said staff has slowed implementation of the FY25 downtown parking plan and will bring more detailed technology and enforcement recommendations to council after additional community outreach.

Leatherman told the meeting staff currently plans to continue charging at Canton Street, Elizabeth Way and East Alley and to develop ordinances for enforcement limited to those locations. He said staff will research technology to identify residents versus nonresidents and will study parking and circulation solutions at Old Mill Park. On budget, Leatherman said the city originally forecast $2,200,000 in parking-related revenue for FY25 but now faces roughly a $1,000,000 shortfall in that projection and has already cut expense items tied to technology, signage and staffing.

Council and staff described the deck as a design-build project with Winter Construction selected through procurement. Izzo emphasized façade treatments, an elevator/stair tower with glass, landscaping and large openings to bring light into the partially below-grade first level on the higher Green Street side. Renderings shown at the meeting were presented as part of the broader Green Street activation plan to change parts of Green Street from two-way to one-way, make Plum Tree pedestrian-only, and add a corridor drive north of the deck.

The city intends to transition East Alley into a more pedestrian-friendly experience and to introduce downtown-ambassador programs during roughly 13 months of deck construction. Leatherman said staff will continue to charge at the three existing paid locations in the near term and will return with technology and ordinance proposals for council consideration. He also said staff is studying Old Mill Park parking options to address anticipated summer traffic.

The mayor opened the meeting to public comment after the presentation; multiple residents asked for resident exemptions, free hours for city cultural facilities and clearer public information about site plans.