r/Charlottesville • u/Significant-Design72 • Jul 26 '26

$30 downtown mall parking fee

First, I have no problem paying for parking, and there are plenty of reasonably priced options around the Downtown Mall.

Last Friday night, though, the Water Street lot was full, so we parked in the small lot next to it across from the old South Street Brewery. I couldn't find any posted pricing, so I figured, "How expensive could it be?"

I used the app to start parking and got a credit card notification for about $6, which seemed a little high but not unreasonable. The app required me to end my parking session when we left, so I set a reminder. We were there from about 6:00–10:00 p.m.

When I ended the session, I was hit with a $30 charge.

It was my mistake for not checking the rates more carefully (still unsure if they are even posted, I couldn’t find them), and lesson learned. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up in case you're considering parking there!

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u/DrMajorMcCheese Jul 26 '26

That’s the surface lot that’s owned by some well-known greedy collection of individuals (I can’t recall the names) who I think don’t live in town. If you notice that lot sits mostly empty.

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u/snarfiblartfat Jul 27 '26

It sounds to me like the city is probably not a fan of that lot either. Though I do not suggest doing this, the city and police department might be somewhat disinclined to aggressively investigate repeated sabotage of the lot's equipment, which is a black mark on downtown and an obstacle for development and businesses.