A ParkBoi ‘platinum card’? Boise mulls new parking ideas, higher prices

Boise officials are considering a suite of new plans for downtown parkers — as well as higher rates for frequent customers.

Capital City Development Corp., Boise’s urban renewal agency, opened public comment Monday on a plan to raise prices at its six downtown ParkBOI garages. The proposal would raise daily maximums and monthly rates — but not increase the $3 hourly charge, or lift the city’s free first hour policy during busy hours.

As drafted, the plan would raise the maximum charge from $20 to $21 at the Capitol & Main and 9th & Main lots. The ceiling at the four other public lots — Capitol & Myrtle, 9th & Front, 10th & Front and 11th & Front — would rise from $15 to $18 per day.

Monthly ParkBoi passes would go up $5 to $10 per month, depending on the garage, bringing the range to $135 for the cheapest option and $195 for the most expensive. Reserved monthly passes, which guarantee holders a specific parking space in a garage, rise to $203-$293, but there aren’t many of those in circulation.

The proposal would also raise the price of special event parking, and make parkers pay for their first hour between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., a move CCDC Parking & Mobility Director Zach Piepmeyer hopes would reduce vandalism and “late-night nuisance behavior” in garages.

“I believe we have struck a conscious balance between raising parking rates to manage demand and help maintain a sustainable parking model with being responsive to our customer desires for convenient options at a range of price points,” Piepmeyer told the CCDC board on Monday.

Parking prices last went up in 2022, Piepmeyer said. The changes would only affect parking structures, not metered street spots.

Commissioners concerned for downtown businesses

While CCDC board members agreed to put the plan before the public, some were concerned of the impact even small price hikes might have, particularly on downtown businesses.

Corporations make up a big chunk of the roughly 3,000 monthly passes in circulation, and the price of parking represents a “not insignificant” factor in deciding whether to keep a business in central Boise, Commissioner Todd Cooper said.

“I’ll tell you as an employer downtown, parking is a consideration,” Cooper said. For businesses that buy passes in bulk, an extra $60-$120 per person per year is “impactful,” he said.

Commissioner Meredith Stead, the Boise City Council president, said she hopes employers weigh in on the rate plan.

“I know that we’ve seen more and more jobs heading west — and part of that is the ease of transportation,” she said. While not much on its own, Stead called the increase “another straw on the back” of local businesses.

Still, Piepmeyer’s proposal comes at a time when metrics point to rising parking demand. After years in decline, the waitlist for monthly passes systemwide roughly tripled since last March, now nearing 150 people.

“Folks appear to be holding onto their passes longer, and are using garages more frequently,” he said.

Meanwhile, the urban renewal agency is working toward building its seventh parking garage. Demolition began last month to clear a lot at 1010 W. Jefferson St, with construction expected to wrap in fall 2027.

Commissioner Rob Perez, who said he worked downtown for years, didn’t think price changes would drive businesses out of the city’s core. To Perez, if parking costs are that key to a company’s decision, Boise has already lost.

“We’re never going to be as inexpensive as suburban (parking),” he said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

A ‘parking passport’ and ‘platinum card’?

Piepmeyer’s presentation this week also introduced a handful of new ways people may soon use to pay for parking.

Foremost was the idea of a “Parking Passport” linked to a credit card. The plan would issue a credential like a monthly pass, then debit the hourly cost from a driver’s account. When your account gets low, ParkBoi refills it. The idea is to speed up entries and exits, as well as reduce credit card fees.

Frequent users might also soon upgrade to an “all-access” pass. The “platinum card,” as Perez called it, would allow unlimited parking in any garage for a premium price: $340 per month. Today, monthly passes are limited to a home garage.

What’s next?

With the board opening public comment, ParkBoi users can submit a written comment through April 10, or attend the public hearing scheduled for April 13. If the commissioners accept a new plan, it would likely kick in on June 1.