Roswell’s cure for downtown parking woes set to move forward

Josh Green

Wed, 07/30/2025 – 16:44

The aspirin for downtown Roswell’s parking headaches is about to start getting real, according to city officials.

The north Fulton County city has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 7 for a tax-funded parking deck that officials view as an investment toward strategic long-term planning and growth, support for local businesses, and as ironic as it may sound, enhanced downtown walkability.

The deck will rise on a corner where Green Street meets Ga. Highway 9 (Alpharetta Street), about a block east of Canton Street, a regional dining and shopping destination where finding parking can be tough. The site is also just south of the multi-building Southern Post development that replaced a dated shopping center, opening last year.

“This parking deck is more than infrastructure—it’s a strategic investment in the future of our downtown,” said Mayor Kurt Wilson in a groundbreaking announcement today.

Finalized plans for the downtown parking garage near a Green Street entry. Courtesy of City of Roswell

Rough approximation of where the nearly 400-space deck will rise, in relation to Canton Street (left) and other downtown landmarks. Google Maps

Roswell voters in 2022 approved nearly $180 million in bond funds that included $20 million for a new deck to help alleviate parking frustrations near Canton Street. Roswell leaders picked the site in question last year after evaluating eight potential locations.

Back in March, Roswell’s mayor and city council unanimously approved a design-build contract with Winter Construction for the $14.5 million new parking deck, noting that it will rise within a few minutes’ walk of most downtown attractions.

The construction schedule calls for opening the deck next summer.

Winter Construction/City of Roswell

Winter Construction, via City of Roswell

The parking structure isn’t the only significant change planned for the immediate area.

The Green Street Activation Plan, a tactic to increase safety and connectivity, will convert that street to a one-way, southbound road, with facets that include a new brick-paved, multi-use trail and improved lighting.

The plan also calls for converting nearby Plum Street—a one-way thoroughfare located between Green and Canton streets—into a brick-paved, pedestrians-only, multi-use trail for direct access to downtown’s shopping and restaurant strip.

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