Free Evenings at the Deck Behind Canton Street Last Only as Long as Green Street Stays Closed

Since May, parking for dinner on Canton Street has often meant pulling into the brick deck on Alpharetta Street and walking down to the square for free. How long does that last? The answer depends less on parking policy and more on a construction schedule a block away.

The City of Roswell opened its 394-space downtown deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street, at the corner of Green Street, on May 4, 2026. Voters paid for it with $20 million from the $179.6 million bond package approved in November 2022, and the City calls it the largest facility it has built since City Hall went up in the early 1990s. On the same day, crews began the Green Street Activation Plan and closed Green Street to through traffic from Cherry Way to Alpharetta Street. The deck has been free ever since, but only, in the City's words, "for the duration of the closure."

Why the deck is free right now

Free parking was a fix for construction, not a long-term choice. The plan Council approved in March 2026 treated the new deck as part of a paid-parking pilot. It also set aside a 66-space gravel lot at 1056 Green Street for downtown employees. Then the Green Street contractor's assessment found that a full closure would cut the roadwork from about 12 months to about six. That closure also took the gravel lot, which became construction staging. Losing the employee lot was the reason the City gave for waiving deck fees.

Mayor Mary Robichaux explained the trade in the City's announcement of the deck opening:

"Offering parking at no charge in the new deck during construction is our way of making sure downtown remains open and accessible throughout this process."

The City's July 30 update said the same thing: the deck stays free "during active construction on Green Street," and early usage data was strong. The City's latest public estimate for the reopening comes from its April update, which said the improved Green Street "should be open in fall 2026." As of late October, the City hadn't announced a reopening date or a first day for deck fees.

What changes when the barricades come down

The pilot plan has already set the deck's schedule for after the closure. It's the timing, more than the rates, that matters for anyone heading downtown after work.

The deck rates haven't been published. The City Administrator will set them with a dynamic pricing model that responds to demand, occupancy and time of day. Everyone pays the same rate. An earlier idea of free parking for Roswell residents was dropped because the City found it couldn't tell residents from nonresidents at scale in a city of nearly 100,000 people.

The street rates already reward the same pattern. Since August 1, on-street parking on Canton Street between Magnolia and Norcross, Elizabeth Way between Canton and Alpharetta Highway, East Alley between Canton and Norcross, and the East Alley lot has been free for the first two hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. After that, and at every other hour, it costs $3 an hour, up from $2, with a $24 daily cap. Payment works by QR code, text or one of two kiosks, with no app to download, and enforcement runs around the clock.

Taken together, the deck and the street follow one rule. A weekday coffee or lunch on Canton Street can still cost nothing. A Friday dinner or a Saturday afternoon on the square will cost money in both places once Green Street reopens.

The holiday calendar falls in the paid hours

That timing matters because the City's pilot runs through December 31, 2026. It was designed to collect real data on how people park under free and paid models before Roswell settles on a longer-term approach. The busiest downtown weeks of the year fall right at the end of that test, and most of the big dates land in the evening or on a weekend:

1. Now through November 13: Applications are open for Deck the Square, the City's seasonal decorating call.
2. Sunday, November 22, from 4 p.m.: A Little Peace of the Holidays, which appears on the City's holiday calendar.
3. Friday, December 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: Roswell's free tree lighting at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton Street. The evening includes a 40-foot tree, choral performances, hot chocolate, s'mores and Santa.
4. Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The free, indoor Roswell Makers Market at the Roswell Visual Arts Center, 10495 Woodstock Road, with local adult and youth makers. It's off the Canton Street pilot blocks.

The tree lighting's 6 p.m. start on a Friday falls outside the free window on Canton Street, and outside the deck's free weekday hours if Green Street has reopened by then. If the barricades are still up on December 4, the deck stays free that night like any other.

The deck block is becoming an evening destination

Free parking is only part of the reason the north end of downtown is drawing more evening traffic. Southern Post sits across Alpharetta Street from the deck at 1023 Alpharetta Street. Its lineup includes BEY Mediterranean, Silla del Toro, Grana, Amorino, Belux Coffee and Da Vinci's Donuts. In June 2026 the property announced a 4,000-square-foot lease with Atlanta Golf & Social, with no opening date yet. It also announced a 22,000-square-foot lease with the flex-office company Industrious.

The building right next to the deck may add more. On October 13, City Council voted 5-0 to let the Roswell Development Authority negotiate the redevelopment and reuse of the City-owned Masonic Lodge at 1054 Alpharetta Street as a live music and performing arts venue. The City also owns the parcel just south of the Lodge. The Greek Revival building dates to 1859. It began as a Methodist church, and Masonic Lodge No. 165 took it over in 1952, according to Appen Media.

The music venue replaces an earlier plan. In August 2024, Council voted to preserve the structure as an open-air pavilion, estimated at about $3.53 million, with funding still to be determined. The October vote only authorizes negotiations. The North Atlanta Star reported that no operator, budget or opening date has been named. Still, the direction is clear. The City-owned land beside the deck is being planned for night-time use, which is when the deck is set to charge.

What reopening adds besides fees

When the project is finished, Green Street will run one way southbound, with a brick-paved multi-use trail, new lighting, landscaping and underground utilities. The plan also includes an eventual trail connection from Plum Tree Street to Canton Street. North of Cherry Way, Green Street from Woodstock Road stays open one way southbound throughout. The trail will give people walking from the deck a dedicated path along Green Street.

More parking is also coming on the other side of downtown, though not this season. HillRose Market, across from City Hall at 39 Hill Street, is expected to open in the second half of 2027 with about 75,000 square feet of shops, dining and office space, according to Roswell Pulse. The City's parking plan says HillRose will add 350 spaces in a City-owned deck, plus surface and shared City Hall parking. In March, Council put off decisions on parking at City Hall and HillRose until staff had more data. That data is being collected during this pilot, including on every December evening the deck is open.

Parking on Canton Street is one of those small details that shapes how a neighborhood feels day to day. If you're thinking about what the next year downtown could mean for your own plans, whether you're staying close to the square or weighing a move, Kim Waldron would be glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.