Proposed parking changes — including new fees — that were set to take effect in the Arts District in just over a month have been paused after feedback from affected businesses and residents, Las Vegas city leaders announced Wednesday.
Mayor Shelley Berkley and Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Diaz outlined the rollback from Esther’s Kitchen, an Arts District restaurant, in a news conference Wednesday.
“It became very apparent to us that we were not ready to unfold, unveil anything right now,” Berkley said. “We need to get it right.”
For years, the Arts District has been beset by parking woes that have only worsened as the area has blossomed into a growing destination for locals and tourists. Construction on adjacent Charleston Boulevard, which has cut traffic lanes in half, hasn’t helped.
“We recognize that parking is a very divisive issue,” Berkley said.
A $32 million, 500-space parking garage at 1421 S. Casino Center Blvd. is scheduled to open at the end of September. Most of the new fees were set to go live on Oct. 1.
Arts District employees were slated to pay $30 a month to park there — an increase over the monthly $10 fee currently paid by employees and neighborhood residents, according to the city. Las Vegas subsidizes the program.
Parking in the garage for those motorists will continue to cost $10 through the completion of construction on Charleston, expected at the start of 2028.
“I don’t think you can get parking for less than that anywhere on earth,” Berkley said.
Las Vegas was going to get rid of its lunchtime program that allows Arts District customers to park for free for three hours on weekdays. That program will be in effect in the garage, officials said.
Parking north of Charleston will continue to be free for the time being.
The city said it also won’t move forward with plans to add free weekday parking in the district before 11 a.m., or plans to add paid parking between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. Monthly parking at privately owned lots is set to increase to $50.
In discussion with businesses, city officials are exploring the possibility of implementing a validation program, but that hasn’t yet materialized, according to Diaz.
Berkley acknowledged that parking in the Arts District has been an issue for years.
“It’s our goal to provide parking that is affordable so that customers don’t feel that they don’t want to come down here because it’s too expensive,” she said.
Still, Berkley added, the city has to recover the multimillion-dollar investment for the parking garage paid with bonds. Diaz said that the city will wait to see how the parking garage is doing in 2027 to begin looking into more concrete plans.
James Trees, chef and owner of Esther’s Kitchen, spoke during the afternoon press conference at his restaurant.
“I know all of us who are owners, and landowners, and stakeholders here in the Arts District cannot wait to see this ironed out in a way that works really well, for something that normal Las Vegas people can understand, so that way we can make this place more accessible,” he said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
