Local business reacts to Rochester parking rate changes

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – New Year’s Day marks the start of new parking rates for Rochester, and one business is sharing its thoughts on the matter.

Natalie Victoria, the owner of Victoria’s Ristorante & Wine Bar, said the news is unfortunate, adding how this could impact employees who work downtown.

“It’s unfortunate because the people that are parking in the ramps that are longer than four and a half hours, a lot of them are downtown employees,” Victoria said. “We’re adding more cost to already expensive parking. I was not pleased when I heard that.”

The parking rate changes will impact a number of areas. For the parking ramps, the rates will increase if your car is parked in a ramp longer than four and a half hours but will decrease if the car is parked there for less.

“I never work less than four hours here, so it affects me in a negative way,” Victoria’s Ristorante & Wine Bar employee Clare Siska said. “I almost feel like I’ll have to pick up extra hours just to cover parking now.”

In addition to ramp rate changes, all downtown parking meters will now be three-hour meters with a rate of $2 per hour. Parking meters on the edge of downtown will not have a time limit.

“My concerns, first and foremost, is employee parking. They are the ones that are here longer than 4 1/2 hours,” Victoria said. “There are a lot of those people that are in those ramps and it’s expensive for them. I would love to see the city working on some kind of cost-effective idea to bring those rates down for these employees,” Victoria said.

If you are interested in seeing the exact prices for parking rates you can learn more here.

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