About Us

History/Overview

On April 1, 2011, the City of Cedar Rapids turned over management of the downtown parking system to the Cedar Rapids Downtown District. While the City of Cedar Rapids retained ownership of the parking facilities, including ramps, surface lots and the on-street metered parking spaces, the Downtown District is now responsible for setting public policy related to the system’s operation. The Downtown District also oversees and provides support to the Park Cedar Rapids management team and staff who oversee the daily operations.

The transfer of system oversight from the City to the Downtown District was the first of six “Primary Action Items” outlined by the Parking Strategic Action Plan, which was unanimously approved by the Council on April 27, 2010. The plan is focused on supporting the economic development goals of downtown and will serve as the roadmap to revitalization of the system.

Where Does Parking System Revenue Go?

All revenues that are collected by Park Cedar Rapids – including monthly permit fees, on-street meters, citations, event rental and meter hooding revenue – are reinvested back into the system. The Cedar Rapids Downtown District does not take a management fee for their role in overseeing the system, only minimal direct costs such as staff time and office supplies.

Some examples of recent improvement projects that have been funded by parking revenues include:

Energy-efficient LED lighting in the Five Seasons parking ramp, which is saving about 50% in electricity bills
Thorough power-washing of the Five Seasons, 3rd Avenue, 4th Avenue and Ground Transportation Center (GTC) parking ramps; including a complete re-striping of all parking ramps
40 credit and debit card enabled multi-space parking meters
Replacement of the flood-damaged Parking Access Revenue Control System, which allows for better capacity management
Security cameras that monitor the entrances and exits of all parking ramps
24/7 Parking Amenity Program