Two downtown parking garages will soon close for month-long repairs

The Rankin Avenue garage will close for the month of August, followed by the Wall Street garage’s closure in September. Here’s how to navigate downtown parking during the closures.

rankin parking garage

The Rankin Garage closure will begin on Friday, Aug. 1.

Photo via City of Asheville

Beginning this Friday, Aug. 1, the Rankin Avenue Parking Garage will be closed for about a month to make “high priority” structural repairs, including waterproofing, joint seal replacements, and mechanical, electrical, and drainage repairs. Once work on the Rankin garage wraps up, the same updates will be made to the Wall Street Parking Garage, with all repairs expected to be finished by early October.

All about the project

The repairs are part of an $11 million Parking Garage Capital Improvements project that began last year with the completion of “immediate priority” repairs and accessibility upgrades. Once the “high priority” work is completed in October, all that’s left of the project will be “medium priority” repairs, including stairwell and guard rail replacements, signage improvements, and elevator fixes.

Park it at these other garages

While construction is underway at Rankin and Wall Street garages, here’s where else you can park downtown.

City garages

  • Biltmore Avenue, 60 S. Lexington St. | 351 spaces
  • Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville, 68 Rankin Ave. | 506 spaces

In city garages, less than an hour is free — otherwise, it’s $2 per hour with a daily max of $15.

County garages

  • College Street, 164 College St. | 650 spaces
  • Coxe/Sears Alley, 52 Coxe Ave. | 664 spaces

In county garages, the first hour is $2, then an additional $1 per hour after that, with a daily max of $12. Bonus: If you work in Downtown Asheville, you may be eligible to apply for the Affordable Parking Program, earning a reduced-rate monthly parking pass.

Pro tip: You can find real-time availability for City and County parking garages online and in the Asheville App.

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