City, Merchants Partner to Announce 100 New Parking Spaces for Retail in Nob Hill

Under the direction of City Councilor Pat Davis, the City of Albuquerque and Nob Hill Main Street have teamed up to add about 100 new public parking spaces in Nob Hill.

A 2010 study conducted by the City and a more recent analysis both showed insufficient parking available in Nob Hill to support the restaurants and retail businesses. The result is patrons parking in neighborhoods or skipping Nob Hill all together.

“Neighbors and retailers have long agreed that we need more parking for visitors to Nob Hill, but adding new parking lots or another big construction project have not been options,” said City Councilor Pat Davis. “We took a new look at this old problem and found an innovative way to make Nob Hill more accessible during its busiest hours, while helping property owners and relieving overcrowding in nearby neighborhoods. This is a really exciting change for Nob Hill.”

Nob Hill Main Street has contracted with private property owners to allow public parking in private lots throughout the business district. Most of the parking is available after 6:00 PM when parking congestion is at its highest.

“We currently have 80 spots open, and plan to add about 20 more spots in the next few weeks,” said Carolyn Chavez, Nob Hill Main Street Executive Director. “People often mention lack of public parking as a deterrent for visiting Nob Hill. This is step one in addressing that problem.”

The new parking program is a pilot program set to run for one year, with a target of adding 100 spaces.