Drivers can now pay just $1 to park their vehicles for the evening at certain Towson garages in a new Baltimore County effort to drum up support for local businesses amid rising vacancies.
The program comes as one-quarter of the stores at Towson Town Center mall are vacant, and many other businesses in the downtown Towson area have shuttered.
The Baltimore County Revenue Authority on Thursday announced the discounted parking initiative, which will apply to vehicles that enter participating garages after 5 p.m. and exit before 4 a.m. the following morning.
“Towson is the heart of Baltimore County, and we want to make it as easy as possible for residents and visitors to enjoy everything our downtown has to offer,” Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement. “Whether you are meeting friends for dinner, shopping local, or attending an event, affordable and accessible parking helps support our small businesses and strengthens the energy and vitality of our county seat.”
Participating garages include:
- Baltimore County Public Library (Towson Branch) parking facility at 115 E. Towsontown Blvd.
- Baltimore Avenue Parking Facility at 110 W. Susquehanna Ave.
- Tolbert Parking Facility at 108 Ware Ave.
The new initiative follows months of growing vacancies in Towson’s core. The Greene Turtle closed after 16 years at the end of 2025. At Towson Square, the Cinemark movie theater is now surrounded by empty restaurant spaces as operators have pulled out one by one. Several businesses have closed within Towson Town Center mall, with the Apple store and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill both set to shut their doors in June.
The Towson Chamber of Commerce and Towson Main Street Collaborative recently surveyed more than 1,000 residents who live, work and study in Towson.
One of the concerns that kept coming up was parking, said Nancy Hafford, the chamber’s executive director.
The new program significantly cuts the cost to park in downtown Towson. Previous garage parking rates were $2 per hour for the first three hours and $1 for each hour after that.
County officials hope the program will make it more convenient and affordable for residents and visitors to park in downtown Towson, and therefore encourage them to patronize local restaurants, shops, and other businesses. It also aims to reduce traffic congestion as fewer drivers will be searching for free parking spaces on streets.
“This is a simple change that can make a big difference for both businesses and visitors,” said Ken Mills, chief executive of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, in a statement. “Our garages have ample capacity in the evening, and we want people to know they can park safely, conveniently, and now very affordably right in the center of Towson.”
The initiative is the result of collaboration among the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Towson Chamber of Commerce.
“Creating a stronger nighttime economy in Towson means supporting the restaurants, retailers, and small businesses that make downtown a destination,” said Jonathan Sachs, director of the county’s Department of Economic and Workforce Development, in a statement. “This partnership helps remove one of the biggest barriers people mention—parking—and makes it easier for people to choose Towson for a night out.”
