"My clientele is not going to park in a parking deck eight minutes away," Jenna Aronowitz, owner of 1920 Tavern, told Roswell City Council on March 9. "It's not going to happen."
Her concern was real for the south end of Canton Street, where she says parking demand is heaviest. Six months later, though, the deck has a pricing advantage it didn't have when that debate started. After 3 p.m., a curb spot on Canton Street costs money from the first minute. The deck, as of early October, costs nothing. This fall, the clock decides where you park more than the walk does, and that only lasts as long as Green Street stays torn up.
Two parking systems, two different clocks
The Green Street Parking Deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street opened on May 4 with 394 spaces and a ribbon cutting attended by Mayor Mary Robichaux. It stands three and a half stories, across Alpharetta Highway from Southern Post. It's the largest parking facility Roswell has built in more than 30 years, paid for with $20 million from the bond package voters approved in November 2022. Drivers enter from Alpharetta Street via Kevin Cash Memorial Drive. During construction, the city points drivers to the entrance nearest Green Street, and there are two exits onto the connector road.
On-street parking works on a separate schedule. Starting August 1, 2026, the city-managed curb spaces on Canton Street between Magnolia and Norcross, Elizabeth Way, East Alley and the East Alley lot give two free hours to any session started between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. After those two hours it's $3 an hour, up to $24 a day. Outside that window, the $3 rate starts with the first hour. The rate itself went up from $2. You still have to start a session for the free hours to count. The two 30-minute free spaces the city set aside on Elizabeth Way are the exception.
Earlier coverage gave a $2 hourly rate with a $16 daily cap. The August change replaced that, so screenshots saved from early summer are out of date.
Here's how the two systems compare across a typical week this fall:
| When you arrive | Canton St., Elizabeth Way, East Alley | Green Street deck, during construction |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. | First two hours free, then $3/hour | Free |
| Weekday, after 3 p.m. | $3/hour from the start, $24 daily max | Free |
| Saturday or Sunday evening | $3/hour from the start | Free |
| Quick errand | Two 30-minute free spaces on Elizabeth Way | Free |
A two-hour lunch on Canton Street costs nothing either way. A three-hour Thursday dinner that starts at 6 p.m. is $9 at the curb and $0 in the deck. That evening gap is the reason the deck's free period matters.
Why the deck is free, and what keeps it that way
The free deck exists because of a road project. Green Street is fully closed to through traffic between Cherry Way and Alpharetta Street (Hwy. 9), while the stretch from Woodstock Road to Cherry Way stays open one-way southbound. Crews are converting Green Street to permanent one-way southbound traffic and adding a brick-paved multi-use trail, underground utilities, new lighting and landscaping. Later, a trail connection will run from Plum Tree Street to Canton Street.
The full closure also took the 66-space gravel lot at 1056 Green Street for construction staging. Council had planned that lot as dedicated parking for downtown employees, and losing it is one of the reasons the city gave for not charging at the deck. The city said closing the street fully would cut the job from about 12 months to about six, with the improved street open in fall 2026.
The city has not published a last day for free deck parking. Its July 30 notice says the deck stays free during active construction. The city's transportation project dashboard, last edited in September, still listed Green Street Phase 1 as under construction, with work ending in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the actual completion date "TBD." Six months from May 4 puts the original estimate in early November. No reopening date or ribbon cutting has been announced so far.
Keeping the deck free has a cost. Appen Media, citing city records, reported that Roswell is giving up an estimated $262,000 in pilot revenue it would otherwise have collected before the pilot expires on December 31.
The deck's first month shows when downtown fills up
The city's usage report for May 8 through June 7 is the only deck data published so far, and it lines up closely with the pricing story. Over those 31 days, the deck logged about 7,500 visits, an average of about 242 vehicles a day. The busiest times were 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturdays averaged about 350 visits, and most visitors stayed one to two hours.
The busiest day came on May 21, during Alive in Roswell. That evening 619 vehicles used the deck, about two and a half times the daily average, and by 8 p.m. it was nearly 88% full.
Put those numbers next to the curb rules. The lunch peak falls inside the two-free-hours window, so the curb is free for most lunch stops. The evening and Saturday peaks fall in the hours when the curb charges from the first minute and the deck charges nothing. The deck's heaviest use and the curb's paid hours overlap.
Using it on October 15
The last Alive in Roswell of the season is Thursday, October 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. The free festival runs every third Thursday from April through October, on Historic Canton Street and the Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot, and leashed dogs are welcome. The event listing points guests to free public parking at Roswell City Hall. With the May numbers in mind, here's one way to plan the evening:
- Arrive before 7 p.m. if you're using the deck. In May it was nearly 88% full by 8 p.m. on festival night.
- Treat City Hall as the event's official backup, since that's where the listing sends people.
- If you park on Canton Street that evening, expect $3 an hour from the start. Pay by scanning the QR code or texting the number on the signage near your space, or use one of the two kiosks at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way and along East Alley. You don't need to download an app.
- Text ROSWELLEvent to 888777 for event alerts on weather, traffic changes and safety.
January is when the evening advantage gets decided
The pilot behind all of this runs through December 31, 2026. Council approved it 4–2 on March 9 and plans to review the data in January 2027 to decide whether the deck stays free or starts charging. If fees start, the structure council approved keeps the deck free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and charges on weekday evenings and all day on weekends. Roswell Ledger reported the authorized range for those hours as $1 to $5 an hour, which is a range rather than a set price. Everyone pays the same rate. An earlier idea to let Roswell residents park free was dropped because the city found it couldn't reliably tell residents from visitors in a city of nearly 100,000.
The paid hours in that structure are the same evening and weekend hours that currently make the deck the cheaper choice. Daytime parking would barely change under any outcome. Evening parking is what the January decision is about.
Downtown business owners and council members disagree about it. Ryan Pernice, who owns Table & Main and Osteria Mattone on Canton Street, argued that charging for parking puts Roswell at a disadvantage against Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Woodstock, where downtown parking is free. Councilmember Christine Hall said the deck needs a revenue source to cover electricity, cleaning, maintenance and an elevator.
More decisions are coming for the same area. On August 10, council voted 3–2 to advance a $4.75 million Phase II extension of the Green Street trail toward Woodstock Park and authorized applications for a $3 million loan and a $1.5 million grant. Award announcements are expected in December, and Phase II can't move ahead until the financing is in place. Separately, the planned Hillrose development next to City Hall is expected to add 350 spaces in a city-owned deck. Until Green Street reopens, the free deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street is the cheapest evening parking near Canton Street.
How easily people can walk to Canton Street, and what it costs to park there, affects how homes near downtown Roswell are priced and how buyers view them. Terence Richardson tracks these changes block by block, including the January parking decision, so pricing reflects what's happening now. Schedule your free market consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
