Downtown deal on monthly parking continues as help for downtown revitalization

CEDAR RAPIDS - The City Council on Tuesday evening extended half-price parking in the city's downtown parking ramps, likely through at least Sept. 30.

In October 2008, the council moved to half-priced reserved parking of $30 a month in an effort to encourage businesses, employees and customers to stay or come back to the downtown.

The deal had been slated to expire on June 30, but the council now has decided to keep it in place.

Much is in the works for the downtown parking system, especially the city's move to turn the system's oversight over to the Cedar Rapids Downtown District. The parking deal could change if the district takes over before Sept. 30, the council said.

Casey Drew, the city's finance director, told the council that the city will take in $300,000 less revenue than it could with the half-priced parking rates.

Mayor Ron Corbett has gone so far as to suggest free off-street parking for company's and employees as a way to get more employers to locate downtown.

The city continues to try to lure Go Daddy, which has headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., to locate jobs in downtown Cedar Rapids, and one of the incentives is a parking deal.