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Transportation

Parking Action Plan: Your Input is Needed

As the physical master plan is implemented and the university expands to include a new housing development, academic facilities and student gathering spaces, our campus landscape is undergoing a significant transformation.

While these developments support the university’s long-term vision, they also present a critical challenge: NC State is projected to lose between 1,700 and 2,000 parking spaces over the next five to ten years. This reduction is driven by the repurposing of existing surface lots for new buildings and the planned retirement of a portion of the Coliseum Deck.

The Parking Action Plan is our strategy to support the physical master plan implementation and manage the resulting changes. Your feedback is essential to determining how we move forward.

Things to Consider

When it comes to parking, most people value three things: affordability, availability and convenience.

Each value prioritizes a unique approach to managing parking inventory, with varying levels of investment in infrastructure, operations, and ongoing maintenance. For NC State, these values could be put into practice to support the implementation of the physical master plan, as described below. 

Additionally, please note that each value involves benefits and trade-offs, including increased parking fees, changes to current parking privileges/access and shifts in commuting behavior among students, faculty, and staff. These are planning tools and do not represent final decisions.

Affordability: Maintaining the lowest possible parking rates.

  • Small number of parking spaces replaced (ex. 300-500)
    • Significantly fewer permits available compared to current campus conditions
  • Potential cost: Up to $20 million
    • Minimal increase in parking permit fees
  • Reduced access to parking in the heart of campus
  • Reduced ability to drive between campuses
  • Significantly increased usage of carpools, transit and micro-mobility

Bottom Line: Optimize existing parking assets and increase other modes, rather than build more parking supply.

Availability: Ensuring a parking permit and/or parking space is available.

  • Medium number of parking spaces replaced (ex. 700-1,100)
    • Similar number of permits available compared to current campus conditions
  • Potential cost: $25-40 million
    • Moderate increase in parking permit fees
  • Reduced access to parking in the heart of campus
  • Reduced ability to drive between campuses
  • Moderate increased usage of carpools, transit and micro-mobility

Bottom Line: Add structured parking at strategic locations; minimize impacts to parking permit fees and availability.

Convenience: Parking options near one’s final campus destination.

  • Large number of parking spaces replaced (ex. 1,700-2,400)
    • Similar number of permits available compared to current campus conditions
  • Potential cost: $70 million or more
    • Significant increase in parking permit fees
  • Similar access to parking in the heart of campus
  • Similar ability to drive between campuses
  • Similar usage of carpools, transit and micro-mobility

Bottom Line: Maximize parking capacity to accommodate substantial campus growth, regardless of cost.

Share Your Feedback

Campus community input will be important as we consider the benefits and trade-offs for each of the three priorities.

Here are two ways to join the conversation:

We want to hear from you!

Feedback will be collected until April 30, 2026.

Feedback Form

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