Albany Parking Authority

There are nearly 22,000 parking spaces for visitors and employees in downtown Albany, capital city of the Empire State. The Albany Parking Authority manages more than one-third of the public parking inventory, including on-street meters.

The Authority provides leadership in its responsibilities for public parking by:

• Sustaining economic development for the City of Albany;
• Achieving improved solutions to parking challenges;
• Elevating service and convenience for parkers;
• Enhancing smooth trafic flow and pedestrian safety; and
• Supporting planning for transportation alternatives.

During 2012 we will focus on nine areas:

1. Market the newly created Parking Incentive Program (PIP) to developers and property owners to encourage economic development by offering discounted, long term parking agreements to new APA customers
2. Offer a Parking Retention Program (PRP) coterminous with long-term lease renewals and extensions for current APA customers
3. Expand the introduction of "multi-space" parking meters with progressive rate structures that allow parking for longer than two hours in prime locations on-street
4. Design and implement a new signage package and related strategies to help people locate downtown parking garages
5. Research pay by cell phone technology as a premium platform for meter payment
6. Conclude renovation of the Green-Hudson and Columbia garages (year 7 of 7)
7. Create parking applications to deliver information to customers "in the field"
8. Upgrade the APA website to allow additional ways to purchase parking
9. Pursue involvement in city development projects

The Authority was established in 1983 as a public benefit corporation under the New York State Parking Authority Law.  The Law authorizes the Authority to construct, operate and maintain locations in the City of Albany for public parking facilities.  In order to achieve its planning and design goals to meet parking demand, the Authority is authorized to issue tax-exempt bonds.  The bonds must be self-supporting from user fees.  The Albany Parking Authority receives no tax support of Federal, State, City or private grants.

The Parking Authority is governed by a five-member board of directors, which has the powers and responsibilities customary to the board of a private corporation. The board employs 24 staff who operate and maintain its three public parking garages and who manage the on-street parking meter system under contract for the City of Albany. 

Citations for parking meter violations are issued by the Albany Police Department. The Parking Authority receives no revenue from parking tickets.