CINCINNATI — Anyone who has shopped at Cincinnati's Kenwood Towne Center during busy times, like the holiday season, knows how tough and frustrating it can be to find a parking spot up close.
So the region's premiere mall has reintroduced paid parking for premium spots, charging shoppers $2 per hour for approximately 100 spaces near popular entrances.
The mall has just implemented the "preferred paid parking" system, targeting spaces in front of the Nordstrom and Restoration Hardware entrances, as well as on the other side of the mall.
Shoppers must scan a QR code and enter their license plate number to access the premium spots, with costs averaging around $6 for a typical afternoon visit of a few hours.
Shoppers give it mixed reviews
The paid parking option has generated mixed reactions from customers we spoke with, who were navigating the busy shopping center during this cold spell.
"I think it's a good idea... especially when it's this cold," one shopper said while rushing into the mall.
However, not all customers embraced the change.
"I think it's stupid because I wanted to park up there... and now I can't," a frustrated woman said. "I literally was pulling in there, and I was like, what, I can't?"
WATCH: Shoppers react as they find new paid parking spaces in Kenwood
According to the mall's website, "a majority of the parking lot remains free to shoppers... with a small portion designated as preferred paid parking." The mall also notes that 9% of parking payments will be donated to City Gospel Mission, so some of your money will go to a good cause.
This marks the return of a program Kenwood Towne Center first launched in 2018 but discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic. WCPO previously reported on the initial implementation, which also received mixed feelings.
But this time, the rate is actually lower, despite inflation.
Shopper Ashley Bennett said the convenience justifies the cost during the winter months.
"For $2 an hour, I would do it. To park up close in the cold, yeah," Bennett said.
Still don't like the idea? The mall emphasizes that thousands of free parking spaces remain available for shoppers who prefer not to pay for premium positioning.
That way, you don't waste your money.
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