LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Business owners were unsuccessful in swaying Mayor Shelley Berkley, who announced there are no plans to reverse a recent parking increase in downtown Las Vegas.
Visitors now pay $1 more per hour to park in the Arts District, an increase local shops say is bad for business. The change went into effect last month and increases street parking and surface lots by $1 per hour, making meters in the city between $2 and $4 per hour depending on location.
“The prices are getting outrageous around here,” one visitor said during First Friday, a monthly event that typically draws large crowds to the Arts District.
For the first time since 2019, the City of Las Vegas raised downtown parking prices. Visitors in the Arts District said they were not happy about the change.
“That kind of nickel and diming that’s what keeps our tourism down,” another visitor said.
Business owners push back
Local business owners urged the city to pause enforcement of the new rates. The board of directors for the Las Vegas Arts District Neighborhood Association penned a letter asking the city to wait until after the holiday season.
Despite the outcry, Mayor Berkley announced they had no plans to reverse their decision.
Troy Heard runs the Majestic Repertory Theatre in the Arts District. His shows bring in visitors from across the country. He said he is more worried about his staff who park daily for four to 12 hours.
“As a theatre we have a rotating staff,” Heard said. “It’s increasing at this rate that we just can’t sustain and it’s not effecting just the patrons now its effecting the employees.”
Employee permits for the Arts District are only $10 a month and did not increase. But because Majestic employees are temporary, Heard said it makes it difficult for them to secure a permit. He only has six leased spots to offer.
“They are going to get beyond nickel and dimed they are going to get “dollared” to death where they have to pay to work,” Heard said.
Right now there are no plans to make any changes. The city said to help customers they have expanded the free lunch spot on-street parking program in the Arts District. The program lets drivers park for free from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on weekdays.
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