VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — More than a month after paid parking began at the Oceanfront, thousands of residents have applied for the city’s free parking voucher program, though many still aren’t aware it exists.
The city now offers Virginia Beach residents up to $50 in free parking through a voucher system, but participation is still growing.
Brent Mills, a Virginia Beach resident who visits the Oceanfront several times a month, said paying to park is his biggest frustration.
“It kind of sucks I’ve got to pay for parking,” Mills said.
Mills said he often comes to ride his Onewheel near the boardwalk and grab lunch, but parking costs can add up quickly.
“Today I’ve had $18.50 — it gives me five hours,” he said.
Parking rates remain relatively unchanged for stays up to three hours, costing about $6.
In the past, residents were limited to three hours of on-street parking. That limit has been removed this year, allowing for longer stays at a higher rate.
City officials say higher parking rates for longer-term parking are meant to encourage drivers to move their cars off street parking and into garages or lots, where rates can be lower.
When told about the city’s free parking voucher program, Mills said it was the first time he had heard of it.
“You’re the first to tell me about it. I have not heard about it,” he said. “You’d think it’d be advertised when you pull this up.”
According to City Parking Administrator John Crawford, more than 9,000 people have applied for the program so far, with about 4,000 applicants approved.
“A little over 9,000 people have applied for the voucher program at this time, and we’ve already approved 4,000 people,” Crawford said.
The applications are processed through HONK. Once approved, applicants receive an email with a link to accept the voucher.
Crawford said about 2,000 people have accepted their vouchers so far, but he expects participation to grow.
“I think you’ll see that more and more as people use it and like it, they’re going to talk to more people about it, so the word will spread,” he said.
After learning about the program, Mills said he plans to look into it.
“I am — I’m going to look it up, because $50 is $50. Anything that will help me, I appreciate it,” he said.
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