Tuscaloosa Mayor Proposes 120 New Downtown Parking Spaces, But Might Charge

Mayor Walt Maddox is proposing a new, city-built parking lot that would add 120 parking spaces in downtown Tuscaloosa, but added that it may be time to consider charging people to use public parking spots in the area.

Maddox presented his proposed capital projects for this fiscal year during a city council committee meeting on Tuesday. These are the mayor’s recommendations for using any surplus from the previous fiscal year’s general fund budget; about $17 million remained from 2025.

$5 million of that has already been set aside to help finance the city’s transfer of its police and firefighters to the Retirement Systems of Alabama later this year, leaving about $12.5 million for capital projects in the proposal.

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Although only a small portion of the total proposal, one item of major public interest is a pitch to design a new parking lot in the downtown Tuscaloosa River District, under the Hugh Thomas Bridge, just before Lurleen Wallace Boulevard crosses the Black Warrior River.

The currently vacant space is between the Saban Center construction site and the Homewood Suites by Hilton across from the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater.

“We’re recommending $339,000 be allocated to the river district fund for the design of additional parking in and around the Saban Center, the Amphitheater and the downtown corridor,” Maddox said. “This would add 121 parking spaces and three bus parking spaces.”

His proposal comes soon after a pitch last month to make traffic in nearby Temerson Square one-way and remove around 30 parking spaces in the process.

READ MORE: Tuscaloosa Explores One-Way Streets in Temerson Square

The actual cost of building the parking lot would be around $2.5 to $3 million, Maddox said.

“If the council wanted to go forward with it, we would want to go to bids sometime in late 2026, with construction beginning in early 2027,” Maddox said Tuesday.

One important caveat: Maddox also introduced the idea of charging for this and potentially other downtown parking spaces.

“One of the things I would like to do if the council sees fit to move forward with this recommendation, is to have a larger discussion about whether we see that as free public parking?” Maddox asked. “Or do we see this as a partnership where it’s a hybrid of free public parking but also a potential partnership with the private sector for paid parking at certain times? Or should it be a fully paid parking lot, along with the other spaces in those areas?”

With the Saban Center STEM learning hub well under construction and expected to open late next year, Maddox said more parking will be imperative.

“I think it’s really time, in our downtown, to have this discussion, and I look forward to having that with the city council, if it sees fit to allocate the dollars,” Maddox said. “Certainly, the Saban Center is an impetus to this, but also just the growth of downtown. I can assure you that as the city is considering this, it has the full support of our downtown merchants.”

For more coverage of the conversation as it continues and other proposals from the mayor’s capital projects plan, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.