The city of Florence plans to open its new parking deck on Sep. 30, giving many Florence residents the opportunity to explore the downtown area without worrying about a parking spot.
Alongside the opening of the new parking garage, the city of Florence also plans to reopen Pine Street on Sep. 30, allowing commuters another option to weave around Court Street traffic.
“This was an opportunity to expand, to reposition, to kind of take that demand that we’re experiencing both as an organization, the downtown, the city and respond to it in a meaningful way,” said Chris Stangel, director of the Downtown Florence Alliance.
Stangel expects that this modern parking garage will alleviate some of the parking struggles found in the Florence area, allowing people to more confidently attend city events and celebrate downtown.
“On First Fridays, the new garage will be super helpful,” said Florence resident Austin Thompson. “[I see] people that park a quarter-mile down Tennessee Street, and I got there two hours before [First Friday] ended.”
Stangel remains optimistic about the parking situation, looking forward to the opening of the new garage, saying,“Some cities wish that they had this problem, but I’m excited we are able to deliver a solution.”
Stangel also hopes that the new garage also offers students more security not only for Florence, but parking at the University of North Alabama.
“A lot of times when it comes to going that way, I either want to get a big group together so we can carpool, or walk,” said UNA sophomore Drew Morton. “So if I know there is a parking spot, I’ll definitely go [more often].”
With the opening of the new parking deck, the city of Florence plans on demolishing the Florence Municipal Parking Garage at the beginning of next year.
While some students are excited about the upgrade, others are skeptical about abandoning the old parking deck.
“[Florence Municipal Parking Deck] is like, five feet away from the entrance to my gym,” said UNA freshman Parker Butler. “I might [park in the new parking deck], it just depends on what I’m doing.” Butler went on to voice his excitement for the reopening of Pine Street, saying it would add more timely efficiency to his daily routine.
Morton also expressed his anticipation for Pine Street. “To go to church, I had to take this detour route around Pine Street,” said Morton. “It’s just so much more convenient [to take Pine Street].”
The plans for this parking garage have been in development since mid 2020, with construction workers breaking ground for the new parking deck on Jun. 1 of 2023.
The new six-floor parking deck will bring 273 additional parking spots to the Florence area, including 23 bicycle and e-bike parking spots for cyclists. These parking spots will be available to use through the ParkMobile app, an alternative to parking meters that was implemented across downtown Florence earlier this year.
The newly installed parking garage is located on the corner of Pine and Tombigbee and is meant to serve as a replacement for the Florence Municipal Parking Garage, constructed in 1979. The original garage held 530 parking spots and was intended only to have a 40-year lifespan.
The rates and fees for the new parking deck will be consistent with the rest of Florence at 50 cents an hour between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., on weekdays and free during all other times.
