Employees speak out after downtown Tucson parking lot nearly doubles in fees overnight

Workers in downtown Tucson are facing an immediate parking problem after the monthly price at a lot near Toole Avenue and Sixth Avenue is set to rise from $60 to $109, plus taxes and fees. Employees say they received notice of the increase only one day before the new rate was scheduled to take effect Friday. For people who work near Tucson City Court and elsewhere in the area, the short notice has left little time to find alternatives, while employees say other nearby lots are already filling up.

The lot’s new monthly subscription terms change more than the price. Customers who renew will no longer receive free parking, hourly parking or a 15 minute grace period, according to the notice sent to drivers. The subscriptions will also be tied to one specific license plate and will not be transferable. That means a driver whose regular vehicle is unavailable, including because it is being repaired or replaced by a rental car, could face enforcement action if another vehicle is parked under the subscription.

Paul Eckerstrom, who works across the street at Tucson City Court, currently pays $60 a month for access to the lot. He said the increase feels excessive, particularly when combined with the new restrictions on how subscribers may use their parking. Under the terms described in the notice, a vehicle with a different license plate could be booted, and Eckerstrom said the cost to remove that boot would be $199. The combination of the higher monthly bill, the plate requirement and the booting charge has made the new arrangement unacceptable to him.

Eckerstrom was among the employees who said they will not renew their subscriptions. Other workers expressed similar frustration, saying they were caught off guard by the change and had not been warned that October renewals would be affected. One employee, who asked not to be identified, said staff members had received no prior communication about the new price or rules. The employee questioned why customers were not informed when they went to renew their October parking passes, rather than receiving a letter immediately before the changes began.

The timing has created a practical problem for employees who need to be downtown for work. The anonymous employee said workers were scrambling to locate passes at other facilities, but that those lots were becoming full. The employee also said the increase could leave her and her coworkers without a dependable place to park by Monday. Although the new terms were set to begin Friday, the weekend gives workers only a narrow window to make other arrangements before returning to work.

The lot’s new owner also owns Zeke’s Pizza across the street. News 4 Tucson contacted the owner for an explanation of the price increase, but the owner declined to comment. No additional reason for the nearly doubled monthly rate was provided in the available information. That lack of an explanation, combined with the brief notice period, has intensified the employees’ anger. Eckerstrom characterized the decision as an example of profiteering, while the workers who spoke publicly said they planned to leave the lot rather than accept the new conditions.

For the employees affected, the dispute is not only about paying an additional $49 each month before taxes and fees. It also concerns whether a monthly parking customer can use a substitute vehicle, whether a short grace period remains available and whether a parking arrangement can be changed with only a day’s warning. Under the new policy, customers will have to ensure that the license plate on file matches the vehicle entering the lot. A mistake or unexpected vehicle change could carry a $199 boot removal charge, according to the workers’ description of the notice.

The employees’ immediate response has been to withdraw from the lot and search for other parking, rather than renew under the new terms. Their concerns remain unresolved because the owner did not comment on the decision or indicate whether the rates and restrictions might be reconsidered. In the meantime, workers near Toole Avenue and Sixth Avenue are trying to find space elsewhere as the Friday start date approaches. The episode has left downtown employees dealing with both a substantially higher cost and a sudden loss of the parking arrangement they had been using for work.