Update: “Dear PoPville,
My wife and I ate at El Presidente tonight (fantastic) and parked in the Batley/La Cosecha garage (1270 4th St NE), which I believe is the garage referenced. It still offers three hours of free parking.
We entered at 7:35 p.m. and left at 8:41 p.m., and were not charged when we scanned our ticket on exit.”
“Dear PoPville,
I’m writing to bring attention to a significant and unexplained pricing change at the Union Market parking garage operated by Colonial Parking — one that appears to have been implemented without any public notice or visible signage.
According to the on-site attendant, the rate change happened “about two weeks ago,” but we live in The Batley Apartments directly above the garage and have received no communication whatsoever. There has also been no posted notice at the garage entrance, inside the facility, at the payment kiosks, or anywhere within the Union Market district.
The increase is substantial.
For years, the garage offered 3 hours free and a $15 daily maximum. It is now $10 per hour with no free period and a $50-per-day maximum. Many residents and regular visitors only learned of the change after being charged.
Union Market is a major community hub, and a price hike of this scale — implemented quietly and without public disclosure — affects thousands of people: residents, workers, families, and tourists. It also raises legitimate questions about transparency and consumer notice requirements at a heavily used public-access facility.”
[ICYMI: Yesterday, “charged $28 for only 38 minutes of parking”]