What does it cost to park for dinner on Canton Street this month? If you last checked in May, the number in your head is out of date, and it's now higher. A two-hour lunch on the same block costs nothing.
The cause is a rate change the City of Roswell made on Aug. 1, 2026. The city moved the cost of downtown parking from midday to evening. The new 394-space deck on Alpharetta Street is the obvious way around the evening charge, but it's free only for now. Its future price is tied to Hillrose Market, the $120 million project rising across from City Hall.
The 3 p.m. line
The paid area is small and easy to describe. It covers Canton Street between Magnolia Street and Norcross Street, Elizabeth Way between Canton Street and Alpharetta Highway, East Alley between Canton Street and Norcross Street, and the East Alley Parking Lot.
What you pay on those blocks depends on when your session starts. Start between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the first two hours are free, with $3 an hour after that. Start before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. and you pay $3 an hour from the first minute. Either way the daily maximum is $24.
The hourly rate itself also went up. When on-street charges began on May 15, parking cost $2 an hour with a $16 daily cap. The August change added the free daytime window and raised the hourly rate to $3, and that rate applies to every hour outside the window.
So the start time matters more than how long you stay. A session that starts at 2:45 p.m. gets two free hours and runs free until 4:45. A session that starts at 3:15 p.m. pays $3 for its first hour. A car that arrives at 7:30 a.m. pays for the half hour before 8, then gets the next two hours free, and charges resume once the second free hour ends.
Same visit, two price lists
Here's what a few common visits cost under the May rates and under the rates in effect since Aug. 1. These numbers come straight from the city's published rates. They are not estimates of how anyone actually uses the blocks.
| Visit on a paid block | May 15 to July 31 ($2/hr, $16 cap) | Since Aug. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Two-hour lunch starting at noon | $4 | $0 |
| Four-hour daytime stretch starting at 10 a.m. | $8 | $6 |
| Two-hour dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. | $4 | $6 |
| Three-hour evening starting at 6 p.m. | $6 | $9 |
| All day | $16 | $24 |
The table shows the trade-off. Daytime visits of two hours or less now cost nothing. Daytime stays of three to five hours cost a little less than before, a six-hour stay costs the same $12, and anything longer costs more. Every evening visit costs more, and a full day costs 50 percent more. The city said the change was meant to make it easier to visit downtown shops and restaurants during "peak morning and midday hours." It also said the revenue will help build "a sustainable downtown parking system." The pricing serves both goals: free time when the city wants to draw visitors, and a higher rate when demand is strong enough to carry it.
Free still means checking in
The two-hour window is free, but you still have to register. Every car on a paid block needs an active session, even for a quick stop, and that includes the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. window. A car without a session can be fined $20. Enforcement runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and no car can stay longer than 24 hours.
You don't need an app. There are three ways to start a session:
- Scan the QR code on the sign near your space, enter your plate and how long you expect to stay, and pay on your phone.
- Text the number on the same sign and follow the prompts.
- Use one of the two kiosks, at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way or along East Alley, where you enter your plate and choose a duration.
The phone options handle overstays better. A phone session sends a text with an extension link as your time runs low. A kiosk session has to be extended at the kiosk. The city lists Oobeo as the payment platform.
For a genuinely quick errand, the city set aside two free 30-minute spaces on Elizabeth Way that don't require a session at all. When the pilot was first designed, the city considered a free-parking model for residents and dropped it as impractical to run at scale. The current rules don't include a resident discount or permit.
Why the deck is free, and why that's temporary
The easiest way around evening rates is the deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street, between Green Street and SR 9. It opened May 4 with 394 spaces. In its July 30 update, the city said parking there stays free "during active construction on Green Street," and that early usage data is strong. It didn't publish figures.
That condition is the important part. Green Street closed to through traffic between Cherry Way and Alpharetta Street for about six months, with work expected to start in early May. The project adds underground utilities, a brick-paved multi-use trail, lighting, landscaping and a future trail link from Plum Tree Street to Canton Street. The city forecast a reopening in fall 2026. The deck became free partly because construction staging took over the 1056 Green Street gravel lot, which downtown employees had used for parking. Appen Media reported that the decision followed concerns from business owners and employees. Councilmember Allen Sells objected that the full council hadn't voted to change its March decision.
The deck can't stay free forever, and the reason is Hillrose Market. Atlantic Companies broke ground this spring on the seven-acre site next to City Hall. The plan includes 143 apartments, 16 for-sale brownstones, a six-building retail village of 75,000 square feet, an office building and a city-owned deck. The former Roswell Police Department building will be converted to ground-floor retail with workspace above. Delivery is expected in the second half of 2027. Appen Media reported that the project's financing relies on revenue from the 350-space deck at Green Street and Ga. 9, and that the financing could fail if more than 100 spaces stayed free at City Hall. Keeping the deck free during the Green Street work will cost an estimated $262,000 in parking revenue.
According to Appen, deck revenue and the number of free spaces at City Hall are what the Hillrose financing depends on. Appen treats on-street revenue separately: the city will keep collecting it for the length of the pilot. The August pricing makes evening curb parking more expensive at a time when the free deck absorbs the extra demand. Once the construction exemption ends, that free option goes with it.
What hasn't been decided
As of early October, a few things are still open, and they're best treated that way:
- Green Street's reopening. No city update published since Aug. 1 confirms that the street has reopened or gives a new completion date. At its Aug. 10 meeting, the council voted to seek state loan and grant funding for the larger Green Street Mobility Project. The recap gives no new reopening date for the current closure.
- When the deck starts charging. The city hasn't announced a start date or rate. Its Sept. 21 capital-projects summary describes the deck as providing nearly 400 spaces, with no pricing details.
- City Hall and other lots. In March, the city put off decisions on City Hall, the Cultural Arts Center, the Hillrose deck and surface lots, and Hill Street parking, leaving them for later council consideration. Recaps of the council's regular meetings on Aug. 10, Aug. 24, Sept. 14 and Sept. 28 show no vote on any of them.
- After Dec. 31. The council approved the pilot 4–2 on March 9 to run through Dec. 31, 2026. The city says the pilot exists to collect real data on demand and usage before it sets longer-term strategy. On April 27, the council approved a contract with 12 Oaks Parking to manage the system, at a cost Appen put above $188,000 through year-end, with weekly data reports. The city's council recaps from Aug. 10 through Sept. 28 report no discussion of pilot results.
For now, the rules are clear. Sessions started before 3 p.m. get two free hours, evenings cost $3 an hour, the deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street is free, and every car on a paid block needs a session. The city keeps its current rates and FAQ on Roswell Connections, and that page is the first place a change would show up. For more on the blocks behind these spaces, our guide to Canton Street and Roswell's historic core covers the streets, and our fall calendar for Canton Street lists the evenings when those spaces will be in demand.
If you own a home within walking distance of Canton Street, these changes affect how the location is described when you sell, from how far it is to the curb to whether the deck is still free. Bobbie Schmitt builds every listing around details like these. Request a Custom Marketing Plan and we'll show you how your downtown Roswell address would be presented to buyers.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
