Anyone who’s visited the southernmost Virginia-Highland commercial stretch recently may have noticed a disconcerting trend of vacant storefronts, some of them dark for several years. 

It’s particularly noticeable—and jarring, given the upscale surroundings that businesses typically covet—near the intersection of N. Highland Avenue and St. Charles Avenue. 

The Atlanta City Council this week unanimously approved a resolution that will make parking on all city streets in the area free, in hopes of creating more uniform enforcement, reversing the tide of retail vacancies, and luring more customers back to the district’s shops, eateries, boutiques, and bars. 

That means days are numbered for all parking meters in the Atkins Park Neighborhood Commercial District, home to the storied namesake tavern and numerous longstanding restaurants and watering holes. 

N. Highland Avenue shops and vacancies, as seen in January 2023. Google Maps

Boundaries of Virginia-Highland's Atkins Park district. OpenStreet Maps

Meters in Virginia-Highland’s other two commercial zones farther north were pulled out several years ago. 

According to the resolution, the current metered enforcement zone in Atkins Park has “resulted in a one-size-fits-all system that does not appear to take neighborhood-specific context or off-street parking availability into consideration.” Alongside Atkins Park business owners, the Virginia-Highland District Association and Virginia-Highland Civic Association had requested the meters be removed. 

One business leader called the meters “a big deterrent” in an interview with Atlanta News First. 

The former J&J Bourbon Bar space where N. Highland Avenue meets St. Charles Avenue has been vacant for about seven years. Google Maps, June 2024

Alex Wan, the District 6 city councilmember who sponsored the resolution, said one goal is to boost small businesses in an area that’s been pockmarked with vacancies for years. 

“I think as a city we have to be mindful of what our parking management program does,” Wan told 11Alive news, “and the impacts it has on communities and businesses.” 

During the same newscast, a Virginia-Highland patron told the news station she sometimes skips coming to the area because she can’t find free parking or has to park down the block from her destination. 

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• Virginia-Highland news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)