Nearly 400 free parking spaces opened a block from Canton Street on May 4, and the city plans to review data in January to decide whether to start charging.

The Green Street Parking Deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street launched with a ribbon-cutting attended by Mayor Mary Robichaux and city staff. The three-and-a-half-story structure is the largest parking facility Roswell has built in more than 30 years, funded by a $20 million allocation from the $179.6 million bond package voters approved in November 2022. Winter Construction, an Atlanta-based firm selected from nine bidders, delivered the project under a $14.5 million design-build contract.

The deck sits across Alpharetta Highway from the Southern Post mixed-use development. Its brick facade, tower-like corner stairwells, and metalwork were designed to echo the Historic District's architecture, with full facades on all four sides. A traffic signal on Alpharetta Highway gives drivers direct access without cutting through residential streets.

Parking is free while Green Street construction continues. By keeping the deck at no cost during that period, the city is forgoing an estimated $262,000 in pilot-program revenue it would have otherwise collected before the pilot expires December 31, according to city records reported by Appen Media. Under the plan City Council approved 4-to-2 on March 9, officials will review pilot data in January 2027 to decide whether to keep the deck free or begin charging.

If fees take effect, the approved structure calls for free parking from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with hourly rates of $1 to $5 during evenings and weekends.

Deputy City Administrator Sharon Izzo said at the May 4 opening that the deck would be "a real difference maker for folks who want to come and visit. To be able to leave their car in a beautiful, safe, well-lit space."

Not every Canton Street business owner shares that optimism. Jenna Aronowitz, owner of 1920 Tavern, told WSB-TV at the opening that she considers the deck too far from the south end of Canton Street where parking demand is heaviest. She estimates parking problems already cost her restaurant at least 20% in daily sales, telling Atlanta News First in March that customers call every day to cancel reservations because they cannot find a spot.

"I've got an older clientele. My clientele is not going to park in a parking deck eight minutes away," Aronowitz told council members during the March 9 meeting. "It's not going to happen."

Ryan Pernice, who owns Table and Main and Osteria Mattone on Canton Street, argued at the same meeting that charging for parking puts Roswell at a disadvantage against Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, and Woodstock, where downtown parking is free. Council member Christine Hall countered that the deck's operating costs require a revenue source, citing electricity, cleaning, maintenance, and an elevator.

On-street paid parking on Canton Street between Magnolia and Norcross streets runs $2 per hour for up to six hours, with a $16 daily maximum. That pilot also expires December 31. Drivers pay at kiosks or through the ParkMobile app.

The city plans to fold the deck into a broader downtown parking system that will eventually include spaces at the planned Hillrose mixed-use development across from City Hall, according to Jeffrey Leatherman, deputy city administrator of Community Services. Council's planned January 2027 review of pilot data will shape what residents and visitors pay going forward.