St. Armands paid parking to begin Tuesday

Two major parking-related changes are coming to St. Armands Circle next week, the city announced today.

The city plans to open a parking garage at 47 N. Adams Drive and begin a district-wide paid parking program Feb. 12. St. Armands will be the first area in the city with on-street paid parking since officials removed meters from downtown in 2012.

The city approved the paid parking program as part of a strategy to fund the $15 million garage project. The garage will have 484 spaces, and there will be an additional 23 surface parking spaces near the garage.

The hourly parking rates in the Circle will vary depending on where a space is located. Prime spaces will be $1.50 per hour, while more remote spaces will be $1 per hour. Parking in the surface lot on South Adams Drive will cost 75 cents an hour, and parking in the garage will cost 50 cents per hour. Nearly 200 free spaces will remain in the area, the city said.

The city installed 40 pay stations around St. Armands, where visitors will input their license plate to pay for a space. The machines accept coins and credit and debit cards. Visitors can also use a phone app, ParkMobile, to pay. The city shared a video with information on how to use the app.