The project to move all freshman parking to lots near the Danieley and Francis Centers was delayed from starting in the fall to the 2025-26 school year due to an updated construction timeline. 

Yet, parking permit prices will still increase from $160 to $225 in fall 2024 — except for Global Neighborhood permits which will double from $50 to $100.

According to Chief of Campus Police and Safety Joe LeMire, the price increase in student parking permits is a “market increase.” For most student parking permits, LeMire said this is the first increase in over 13 years. Mill Point residents saw parking increase from free to a $160 permit beginning in fall 2023. 

“This is the first increase in over 13 years. The Mill Point change was more of a parity issue,” LeMire wrote in an email to Elon News Network. “At the time, Mill Point students were not paying anything but were also limited to just their lot. After speaking with some residents of Mill Point there was some desire to park in some lots on campus, specifically near Sankey Hall and that side of campus. To be fair then, we began charging Mill Point like we did all students but also gave them access to some other lots, including the Innovation Quad area.”

He said the increased rates will help cover parking lot maintenance and is a separate initiative from the now-delayed freshman parking program. 

The delay comes from an updated construction timeline for an upcoming 500-space lot by the Francis Center on East Haggard Avenue, according to a campus-wide email sent May 14. The program would require residential freshmen to park in either the upcoming lot or the easternmost lot of Danieley Center.

LeMire told Elon News Network the delay in construction is related to obtaining traffic and environmental permits from the town of Elon and the Department of Transportation. 

“In order for us to go through all processes and make sure all the permits and things are satisfied, it just got delayed until fall,” LeMire said. 

LeMire said he doesn’t expect the new freshman parking program to have a significant impact on Elon's traffic. 

“We're not adding 500 people to campus, we're just moving 500 people to a different spot,” LeMire said. 

LeMire said he has also been working with Facilities Management to develop a plan for parking buses and shuttles to accommodate freshman students parking in the new lot.