We really don't need parking prices to increase in downtown Boise. The cost of living in the Treasure Valley is skyrocketing, supply chain issues are making everything more expensive, and frankly, we're just out of extra money to spend on stuff like this.

But here we are.

Why even entertain a price hike on downtown parking? The number of people using parking garages in Boise is now reaching pre-pandemic levels, and Parking and Mobility Director Matt Edmond explains that comes at a cost:

We try to employ demand-based pricing. We like to say in the business (that) parking can be convenient, cheap and/or available, but it can’t be all three. You basically have to pick two. So the objective of rate adjustments is generally to target higher rates to maintain availability at those higher demand facilities and direct some of that demand to areas where availability is generally not an issue.

When is all this happening, and how much more are you going to pay? We'll know more after a scheduled board meeting happening March 14th. The Ninth & Main and Capitol & Main garages have a proposed 5-10% price hike, while the 11th & Front garage is looking at a possible 25% price increase.

Those numbers may seem small on paper, but for folks who pay weekly or even monthly to park downtown, you're going to see the difference in your wallet over time.

You can get more specifics about proposed price increases and how/if they'll affect you here. Fingers crossed this is all for naught and the prices stay down.

20 chilling photos of the empty streets in downtown boise during the 2020 Pandemic

This is what Downtown Boise looked like during the first month of the pandemic back in 2019. A friend of mine took these photos with his son as the streets were empty and locked down to Idaho. This is a dark and quiet time that we'll never forget.

Gallery Credit: Kekeluv

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