Parking rate increases today in Ferndale, up to $1 an hour

A vote to double the parking rate in one of metro Detroit's hot spots goes into effect Monday, April 1. 

The Ferndale city council voted to double the parking rate from .50 cents to $1 an hour to pay for a new $20 million parking structure and mixed used development called The Dot. Enforcement hours are also changing, from 11 a.m. to midnight, versus 10 a.m. through 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 

"This is what I think is a relatively modest increase is going to pay for the [parking] deck which we desperately need in Ferndale," said Mayor Dan Coulter. "We have a parking shortage. Everybody acknowledges that."

The Dot and its 400 parking spaces will open in spring of 2020. It is being built on a 128-space parking lot at Troy and Allen, the heart of downtown Ferndale.

City leaders say the rate hike will save taxpayers a headache. It'll keep them from footing the million-dollar a year bond note. 

Almost all meters in the city are connected to a mobile app, so you can pay from your phone and with a credit card.