COVID-19: Rochester Offers Relief To Downtown Contract Parkers

Rochester, MN ( KROC AM News) - The City of Rochester has announced some more changes as part of its response to the coronavirus crisis, one involving users of downtown parking ramps.

Contract users of the city-owned parking ramps may request a temporary suspension of their monthly contract parking for the month of April. Doing so will not affect your future contract eligibility. Refunds will be provided for those who have already paid for the month.

Contact Reef Parking at rochesterparking@reefparking.com to initiate the process.

The city has also decided to defer the renewal of annual on-sale liquor license renewal fees until November 13, which is an expansion of an earlier option. City administration is considering additional measures to reduce the burden on businesses that have already paid renewal fees but have been unable to open for business.

“This is a challenging time for all of us,” says Rochester Mayor Kim Norton, “the impact to our local small businesses is very tangible and very real.” Norton encourages Rochester residents to continue to frequent local businesses that remain open during the Stay at Home order whenever possible but recognizes that won’t be enough. “I am pleased we were able to quickly respond to the Chamber of Commerce’s suggestions on further steps to support our local businesses. The City continues to implement new practices during this time to ease the financial burden caused by COVID-19.”