HOUSTON – Starting in February, drivers will have to pay to park in spaces outside the stores at Rice Village.
The district said meters will be added within the parking lots bordered by Kirby Drive, Morningside Drive, Rice Boulevard and University Boulevard.
Rates start at $1 for the first hour. Meter payments can be made by credit or debit card. Uniformed parking ambassadors will be on-hand to help shoppers with the operation of meters in the storefront spaces.
Shoppers who don’t want to pay will have to use the garage, where the first two hours will be free of charge.
“Before, the worst spaces were charged, now the best spaces are going to be charged,” said Jerry Marcus, president of the Parking Advisory Group for Rice Village District.
The goal is to ease congestion in the shopping area, where it has been known to take up to 30 minutes to find a parking spot. Marcus said the new plan will increase free parking spaces by up to 36 percent.
Of course, not everyone is happy about the change and some shoppers say they will miss free parking at convenient spots just outside the stores.
But other shoppers say they support the change if it decreases the time they have to wait for a spot.
“I think it’s a great idea because we were coming here to eat for the first time and I was worried about finding a parking spot in front of the restaurant,” said one shopper.
According to the district, a portion of the proceeds from the meters will benefit a park at nearby Roberts Elementary and the Poe Elementary's Parent Teacher Organization.