The App State Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rescind the evening parking permit and its regulation to campus during their June 18 meeting.
Students will no longer be required to obtain the $120 evening parking permit to park on campus from 5-7 p.m. on weekdays. The new regulations go into effect on the first day of classes for the upcoming fall semester.
Interim Chancellor Heather Norris sent an email June 7 to faculty, staff and students that mentioned a proposal to lift the parking permit requirements. In the email, Norris said she discussed the proposal to rescind the parking permit with Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown with different representatives from Watauga County, the Town of Boone, the Downtown Boone Development Association and the Boone Chamber of Commerce.
In a follow-up email sent to students Friday afternoon, Norris announced the board voted unanimously to rescind the evening parking pass requirement.
The meeting also revisited other parking-related regulations, adopting and recording revised regulations such as vehicle registration, fees, disability parking and parking violation appeals.
“The Board of Trustees hereby repeals all prior actions authorizing regulations governing parking, transportation and the registration of motor vehicles for Appalachian State University,” the ordinance said.
In response to the June 7 email, the Town of Boone released a statement on its social media platforms.
The statement thanked Chancellor Norris and her team for their work to “repair relationships with community partners,” saying the change will benefit businesses and community gatherings by increasing evening parking availability in Downtown Boone.
“The Town of Boone and the Downtown Development Association would like to thank Interim Chancellor Norris and her leadership team for their willingness to continue to strengthen and repair relationships with all community partners,” the statement affirmed. “By proposing to rescind the evening parking permits, parking in Downtown Boone during the evenings will increase which will lead to additional patronage to Downtown Boone businesses and community gatherings.”
The news comes following pushback from some students in response to the announcement of the evening permit in June 2023, as well as concerns about the backflow of parking-related traffic in downtown Boone caused by the permit.
