Glenwood South parking fines jumping to $200 as neighbors hope weekend chaos subsides

The price of a parking ticket is going to cost you hundreds of dollars in one vibrant Raleigh neighborhood.

People who live in neighborhoods next to Glenwood South tell us it's not just a parking problem. They say the party continues out on their streets after the bars close.

People who live in and around Glenwood South are pleased about a $200 fine being a deterrent for illegal parking and how parking in neighborhoods brings crime spilling over from the bars and clubs at night.

Recently, city council decided to raise parking fines from $30 to $200.

"I think most of the neighbors are in favor of the increase," said Forest Park Neighborhood President Michael Lindsay. "And I do feel sorry for somebody who inadvertently would park here and didn’t notice and suddenly gets a fine like that. That would be pretty shocking. But I think it will curb the parking in the neighborhoods, which has become a problem."

On a weekend night earlier this year in the Forest Park neighborhood, Lindsay was shaken up after hearing a series of gunshots. The neighborhood is an area where partiers on Glenwood South find free street parking for a night out.

"I’m still stunned about the gunshots," Lindsay said. "It was five in a row."

"The typical pattern on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are people parking in the neighborhood to avoid paying for parking in the parking decks near Glenwood South," he added.

Lindsay shared photos of damage done by late-night revelers in his neighborhood. And just over the weekend, an early-morning shooting left three men wounded just off Glenwood Avenue.

"It could be 2 o’clock in the morning, even later, and they’re congregating," Lindsay said. "They’re loud."

Now, the city is cracking down on parking in and around the nightlife district. They're creating a special Glenwood South Parking Overlay district, bordered by Saint Marys and West Streets between Hillsborough and Peace Streets.

In that district and residential permit zones nearby, the fine for illegal parking will increase to $200 between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., seven days a week.

Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative President Larry Miller supports the higher fine.

"We want to be good neighbors. We don’t want the people spilling over there just because they think they can get a free parking space," Miller said. "I think this will help with that."

The city points out that there are more than 3,250 parking spaces available to the public. The city's parking manager told WRAL News they'll continue to focus on increased enforcement as well.

The new fines will go into effect July 1.