"The Green Street activation plan was all about being able to expand off the success of Canton Street," Roswell Councilmember Christine Hall said at the Aug. 10 council meeting, as Appen Media reported.
That success shows up in the parking rules now. Downtown Roswell spent 2026 rewriting what its curb costs, and since Aug. 1 the price depends on the time you arrive more than on how long you stay. If you park at noon, a long lunch on Canton Street costs nothing. If you park at 6 p.m., the meter runs from the first minute. A few hundred feet away, the city's new deck stays free for one reason only: Green Street isn't finished yet.
Two rate schedules, split at 3 p.m.
Parking on Canton Street, Elizabeth Way and East Alley has been paid by the hour since 2019. The current rates come from a pilot that started May 15, 2026, which the city calls a temporary data-gathering program. The rates were revised on Aug. 1. Now the first two hours are free if your session starts between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. After that, parking costs $3 an hour, up from the earlier $2, with a $24 daily cap.
The paid areas are:
- Canton Street between Magnolia Street and Norcross Street
- Elizabeth Way between Canton Street and Alpharetta Highway
- East Alley between Canton Street and Norcross Street
- The East Alley parking lot
What you pay is set by when your session starts, according to the city's posted schedule:
| Time parked | Session starts 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Session starts after 3 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | No charge | $3 |
| 1 to 2 hours | No charge | $6 |
| 2 to 3 hours | $3 | $9 |
| 3 to 4 hours | $6 | $12 |
| 4 to 5 hours | $9 | $15 |
| 5 to 6 hours | $12 | $18 |
| Longest stays | $24 after 8 hours | $24 after 6 hours |
Here is how that plays out. A 90-minute lunch that starts at noon is free. A two-and-a-half-hour dinner that starts at 6 p.m. costs $9. Under the city's schedule, a car that parks at 2:45 p.m. still counts as a midday arrival and gets its first two hours free. A car that parks at 3:05 p.m. pays from the start. Early arrivals get a partial break: a session that starts before 8 a.m. pays $3 for each hour before 8, then gets the next two hours free, and charges resume after that.
"Free" still means starting a session
The fine of $20 mostly comes from the free window, not the paid hours. Every car in a paid space needs an active session, even during the free two hours and even for a quick stop. A car parked in a paid space without a session gets the $20 violation, and that includes cars parked during no-charge hours.
The only exception is two 30-minute no-charge spaces on Elizabeth Way, set aside for short stops at a local business. Those need no session.
The mechanics, according to the city's FAQ:
- No app needed. Signs near each space carry a QR code to scan and a number to text. You enter your plate and expected stay, then pay.
- Two kiosks. One is at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way and the other is along East Alley.
- Extending a session. Phone sessions send a text with an extension link as time runs low. Kiosk sessions mean walking back to the kiosk.
- Enforcement. Parking is enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The longest stay allowed is 24 hours.
- Who runs it. 12 Oaks Parking, LLC handles operations, customer service, enforcement, citations and appeals for the city. You can reach them at (678) 973-0348 or [email protected].
The deck is free because Green Street isn't finished
The city's 394-space deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street opened May 4. Green Street closed to through traffic between Cherry Way and Alpharetta Street the same week. The deck has been free since it opened, and the city ties that to the road work. Its July 30 notice says deck parking stays free "during active construction on Green Street." The same notice says early usage data is strong.
So the free deck lasts as long as the Green Street project does. Phase I converts Green Street to one-way southbound and adds a brick multi-use trail, lighting and landscaping. It runs from Plum Tree and Green streets to Cherry Way and connects the deck to Canton Street. In August, the Roswell Ledger reported the street was expected to reopen "this fall." The city's transportation project record, last edited Sept. 11, still lists Phase I under construction. It forecasts completion in the fourth quarter of 2026 and shows the actual completion date as to be determined.
The city hasn't published a deck rate. When the pilot was set up in March, the city said exact deck fees weren't yet determined. That plan proposed charging on weekday evenings and weekends, with rates set by the City Administrator. The same plan dropped an earlier idea of free deck parking for residents. Residents and nonresidents would pay the same rates.
Downtown businesses argued against deck fees before the pilot started. SaportaReport covered the debate in April. Ryan Pernice proposed using on-street parking revenue to keep the deck free, and Canton Street business representatives raised concerns about how fees could affect visitor traffic. The free midday window that took effect in August answers part of that concern for daytime visits. The evening question is still open.
What can still change before Dec. 31
The pilot runs through Dec. 31, 2026, and the city says the data will shape its longer-term parking plan. That leaves three open questions for the rest of the year:
- When the deck starts charging. That depends on when Green Street Phase I is done, and the latest city estimate is a fourth-quarter forecast.
- What the deck will cost. No rate has been published.
- What happens after the pilot. The current on-street rates are set only through the end of the year.
Old Mill Park is a smaller unknown. The city's facility page for Vickery Creek's Old Mill Park advertises free parking. Its lot was on the list of locations approved for the pilot in March. It's not on the August list of active paid areas, though. Check the signs at the lot before you assume either way.
Work on Green Street won't stop when Phase I does. On Aug. 10, the council voted 3-2 to apply for $4.5 million in state financing for a $4.75 million Phase II. It would extend the trail from the deck toward Woodstock Park, and award announcements are expected in December 2026. Hal's "The Steakhouse" is also planned for downtown "next spring," a few doors from Little Alley Steak. Rough Draft Atlanta reports it will have valet service.
The dates on the calendar, by parking rule
The fall and holiday events fall on both sides of the 3 p.m. cutoff:
- Alive in Roswell, Thursday, Oct. 15, 5 to 9 p.m. This is the last of the season's free monthly festivals on Canton Street. The listing says free public parking is available at Roswell City Hall. You can get event alerts by texting ROSWELLEvent to 888777. Roswell365's general Alive in Roswell parking guide still lists a Green Street lot. The gravel lot at 1056 Green Street is being used for construction staging. A 5 p.m. arrival in a paid on-street space falls under the evening rate.
- Christkindlmarket at Bulloch Hall, Nov. 20 to Dec. 23. It's at 180 Bulloch Avenue and admission is free. Daytime visits that start in a paid Canton Street space before 3 p.m. get the two free hours.
- Bulloch Hall Christmas tree lighting, Saturday, Nov. 28, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Roswell's tree lighting, Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m. It's free and held at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton Street, with performances, Santa and a 40-foot tree. The event listing gives no parking instructions. A 6 p.m. arrival on Canton Street is billed from the first hour. The deck's free status that night depends on whether Green Street construction is still underway.
Parking access is part of the value of a home near Canton Street, and it's one of the downtown details we follow as the pilot nears its Dec. 31 end. If you'd like to talk through how Roswell's downtown changes affect your property, Dawn Camarda offers a complimentary market consultation.
