Santa Rosa waives parking fees in downtown garages, parking lots, meters

Santa Rosa is not charging for parking in parts of downtown Santa Rosa to give residents seeking assistance at the local disaster aid center one less thing to worry about.

The city has waived fees for the garages, parking lots and meters around The Press Democrat building, at 427 Mendocino Avenue, where an aid center opened on the first floor Saturday.

Since then, hundreds of people affected by the catastrophic fires have sought various types of aid at the center, from Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance to finding temporary housing and replacing vital records.

The city waived the parking fees through Oct. 22 “to lessen the anxiety of fire survivors seeking service,” Kim Nadeau, the city’s parking manager, said. That date could be extended depending on the number of people seeking services at the center, she said.

Parking is free at Garage 1, at 521 Seventh St., Lot 2, at 521 Fifth St., Lot 11, at 540 Fifth Street, and at on-street meters on Fifth Street, Ross Street and parts of Mendocino Avenue.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.