Raleigh considers selling downtown parking deck near Marbles Kids Museum

Raleigh is considering selling the Wilmington Street Station parking deck, a city-owned garage across from Marbles Kids Museum that has become one of downtown’s most visible low-cost parking options. The move could determine whether families, office workers and weekend visitors keep getting free two-hour parking near 201 E. Hargett Street or start paying more for a typical trip downtown.

Raleigh operates about 11,000 downtown parking spaces overall, including ten city-owned decks with roughly 8,500 public spaces. Wilmington Street Station is one of the decks in the city’s two-hour free parking program, and the garage sits within a larger parking system that still faces a large multi-million-dollar funding gap after revenues and fees are collected. A March 2026 parking explainer put that shortfall in the range of about $8 million.

Disposition of surplus property is part of Raleigh’s real-estate work, and properties sold through that process are handled as is. If the Wilmington Street deck changes hands, the city could bring in sale revenue, reduce maintenance obligations and potentially collect property taxes on the site. It would also remove a garage that downtown planners have used as a test case for cheaper parking.

The deck offers a mix of low-cost options: the first 15 minutes are free, parking costs $1 an hour, the first two hours are free under the pilot, the daily maximum is $14 after that, and there is no charge at nights and weekends outside events. Downtown Raleigh Alliance materials identify the deck as city-owned but operated by The Car Park and eligible for the city’s weekday two-hour free parking program.

The free-parking pilot launched in late 2024 in five city-owned decks and was extended through June 30, 2026. Downtown Raleigh Alliance says 97% of storefront businesses supported making the program permanent, 91% said it helped sales, 95% of downtown visitors backed permanent adoption, and the pilot produced an estimated $3.8 million in annual economic benefit. Bill King, the alliance’s president and CEO, said the Wilmington Street deck saw a 37% increase in parkers after the program began.

Marbles says its free or reduced-cost access and programming reach more than 50,000 children and families each year, and a 2025 capital-campaign release said it serves more than 500,000 people annually while turning away more than 70,000 visitors because of capacity limits and sold-out programs. Marbles admission is listed at $9.50 in advance or $12.50 day-of for adults, children and seniors.