The Avalon at Foxhall apartment complex on Massachusetts Avenue is now charging guests for parking, to the chagrin of some University students.
"We're doing it because there were people parking here that weren't visiting anyone," Marcos Goncalves, the senior community consultant at the Avalon, said.
Earlier this year, guests could park in the lots at the Avalon for free, as long as they registered for a guest pass at the front desk.
Goncalves said Avalon management checked the practices of other housing developments in the area and found that many of them also charge a guest parking fee. Managers decided to institute their own fee in order to match the standards set by these similar developments, he said.
The Berkshire Apartments, located across the street from the Avalon, do not charge for guest parking. The Greenbriar, located next door to the Berkshire, gives out guest passes to residents with their rental or purchase of a unit.
Matt Middleton, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said the new policy frustrates him because he has a lot of friends in the Avalon and resents having to pay an additional fee to park there.
"I'm kind of the person that this charge targets, but, that being said, I'm familiar with the ridiculous amount of money that the Avalon charges in rent, and to me, it seems kind of ridiculous that residents are now being charged on top of their rent for a temporary guest parking pass," Middleton said.
Parking passes cost $10, according to Goncalves, and residents must contact the front desk to obtain a pass for their guests.
