City Parking Rules Killing Downtown Happy Hour

Pick any downtown and think about what the sidewalks look like after people get off work.  That vision probably includes a bunch of suits walking over to their favorite local watering hole for a killer happy hour.

With the way the parking rules are set up in downtown Norfolk, we will never see this.  And I’m not exaggerating.  According to the city’s monthly parking guide, the monthly pass for downtown parking only covers daily hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This is what businesses downtown are typically covering as a perk for their employees.  For a pass that includes overnight hours, businesses must dish out an additional $34.00 per month, which they have no reason to pay.

If you aren’t lucky enough for your company to pay, and have to pick up the bill yourself, your car must be out of that garage by 6 p.m. on weekdays or begin paying a steep hourly rate through the rest of the evening.  These stipulations essentially chase people who don’t live in downtown Norfolk out of downtown Norfolk.  They can work, but they can’t play.

Happy Hours are typically from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. People usually get off work around 5 p.m.  If they have to be out of the garage by 6 p.m., that means they only get one hour to hang out with co-workers.  The point of happy hour is to let a load off while enjoying cheap drink and food specials.  Nobody wants to be rushed.  And typically, happy hour attendees end up grabbing another drink or a bite to eat somewhere else after it ends.

So for a city that always talks about bringing in revenue off of food and drink sales, that’s quite an opportunity being passed up. If Norfolk’s meal tax is 11.5%, think of the revenue the city could make if it encouraged people to stay downtown after work. Instead Virginia Beach residents who work downtown immediately split for Town Center where the parking is easy and free to spend their money and time, leaving downtown Norfolk looking like a ghost town.  Ever notice that the Granby restaurant scene on weeknights is pretty dead?

How about this solution?  I understand that the after 6 p.m. hourly increase revenue ends up going to garage employees but what about extending the time limit to 9 p.m. instead?  You can take a portion of the food and drink sales which would surely increase to pay the garage employees.  Pretty sure you’ll still be making a great profit, all while increasing the street vibrancy of downtown Norfolk and making it the weeknight destination we all crave.