Live from Detroit — Today, city officials took action against three downtown parking lots for allegedly attempting to charge $999 per parking spot during tomorrow’s Detroit Lions playoff game at Ford Field. However, the situation took a turn when a Wayne County Circuit Court judge ordered the lots to be reopened after a hearing this morning.
At approximately 8 a.m., Detroit police officers placed yellow stickers at the 1468 Randolph, 401 Gratiot, and 461 Gratiot parking lots, declaring that the operators’ licenses had been suspended. According to David Bell, the director of the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department, city officials discovered that these lots were charging exorbitant rates — far beyond the approved pricing.
“Our people looked online and saw that these three lots were charging far above the rate schedule they submitted to us, which was $10 to $100 per space,” Bell said.
The lots are leased by Park Rite, which operates 30 parking structures in Detroit, with most of them located downtown. Bell confirmed that these three lots were the only ones accused of overcharging.
By mid-morning, the lot at 401 Gratiot was offering parking for $140, while the 461 Gratiot lot listed spots for $150 for a 3:30 p.m. reservation. Meanwhile, other nearby lots, such as Z Deck Garage on East Grand River Ave, were charging a more typical $80, with a $12.80 service fee, and SP+ Parking was listing spaces for $63.45 on Saturday.
One local driver, David Money, who regularly parks at the Randolph lot, was stunned to see police officers shutting it down. “My firm rents spots from Park Rite, and I park here every day,” Money said. “I was kind of surprised to come here today and see these folks.”
The legal battle escalated when, during a 9:30 a.m. hearing, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David J. Allen acknowledged the importance of the upcoming event, saying, “It’s no secret, the elephant in the room is tomorrow is a big day in town — go Lions.” He stressed the need for an easy parking experience for fans and downtown workers, ultimately ordering the lots to be reopened.
In the hearing, Jason Harrison, representing the city, explained that complaints had been filed against the parking lots for violating both the city’s public nuisance ordinance and the Michigan Consumer Protection Act for price-gouging. However, no ruling was made on those complaints at this time.
Park Rite’s attorney, Michael Vogt, explained that the inflated prices were posted by mistake. According to Vogt, a $999 price had been used as a placeholder by an employee in the company’s internal system for years, and a glitch led it to appear on the Spot Hero app. Vogt clarified that no one had actually paid the inflated price.
This wasn’t the first time Park Rite had faced allegations of price-gouging. Vogt mentioned that similar accusations had been made before a Lions game last year, but the case was dismissed “for lack of evidence.”
Vogt also noted the inconvenience for regular Park Rite customers who were affected by the closures. “People who pay monthly rates for the Park Rite lots that were shuttered Friday had to find other places to park and were presumably late for work.”
After hearing both sides, Judge Allen concluded that the inflated charges had not been implemented, and ordered the lots to be immediately reopened. “(Park Rite) said it was a mistake, they’ve corrected the mistake, and I’m not sure what we’ve got here today,” Allen said. “At this point, let’s get the lots open today for folks who work in the courthouse and other folks who want to use those lots, and let’s open up charging the rates that are acknowledged.”
The judge also indicated a potential follow-up, stating, “I don’t know what’s next after that; we can do a status conference next week or a dismissal,” before ending the hearing without a set date or ruling on the city’s complaints.
In a statement following the court’s decision, David Bell said the city had achieved its main objective. “Today, we accomplished what we set out to do, which is to make sure parking lot owners are charging only the rates they are allowed and not trying to gouge customers,” Bell said. “While the judge ruled against the closures we had requested, our proactive efforts have let all parking lot owners know that we are watching. This is an important reminder to all parking operations to follow the rules and to parking lot users to know that the city is out here working to protect them.”
