Fed Hill Parking (Baltimore, Riverside: rent, houses, neighborhood) - Maryland (MD) - City-Data Forum

dclindyhopper · 07-13-2008, 07:22 PM

Hey, my gf and I are thinking about buying a place in Fed Hill. One of us is working in DC and planning on taking the MARC; the other working odd hours on the other side of town and needs to drive every day.

We've found 4 places that we like: one in Fed hill, another in otterbien, and two in Ridgley's delight. Of them, only one has parking included. The Fed Hill house seems to be the most difficult to park but our favorite house; Otterbein seems slightly easier to park, and Ridgley's doesn't seem difficult at all.

So how bad is parking in Fed Hill? If you come home at 2am, 2pm, or 7pm, what does that mean? Is it going to be a couple of extra blocks of walking, or does it mean that you'll have to circle for an hour to find a spot? If parking is going to be horrible, we might rule out places that don't have parking.

sobo16 · 07-13-2008, 08:24 PM

Federal Hill parking can be rough, depending on your location. The worst times to find spots are after 9pm most days. Weekend nights are especially rough. But all of this depends on location. Most areas have permit parking. When I lived in South Baltimore (still part of what the realtors called Federal Hill), I often could resort to parking around Riverside Park when there wasn't anything immediately around my house. The worst it ever got was last year when I drove around for 45 minutes before squeezing into a spot near a warehouse 4 blocks away from my house.

Miss Crabcakes · 07-14-2008, 10:11 AM

I don't live in Federal Hill but have always found it a nightmare to park there. Driving around for 20 mins or more is not that unusual and I"ev gotten several parking tickets there too (stadium signs I misunderstood). Fed Hill is a very po[ular bar district so Friday and Saturday nights you can forget it.

Again, with my not living there and having a permit, my experience could be worse than having one. But I can't imagine living there and trying to have friends over who need to park.

dfmcpete · 07-14-2008, 11:25 AM

Funny you posted this, my fiance and I are looking in the same areas--don't steal out houses!

We also have the same issues--pretty much exactly. Gf will be MARC-ing, I'll be driving. We've pretty much settled on renting a spot. There are a couple of garages in the Fed Hill area that rent monthly spaces--one by the Rusty Scupper and one south of cross st market. They have limited availability and I think cost $100/month. We pay that much in DC now, so we figure it's worth it for the peace of mind, even if it means walking a few blocks.

There are also some privately run open lots, but availability seems REALLY limited in these.

dclindyhopper · 07-14-2008, 01:25 PM

Presumably, we will have parking permits. I'm just not clear on whether that means that means that we will be able to find parking or if it's more like a hunting license.

sobo16 · 07-14-2008, 02:17 PM

Parking permits do help, but unfortunately it doesn't mean it's easy to get a spot. The parking authority does ticket cars without permits from time to time - especially during Orioles and Ravens games.

carolott · 07-15-2008, 08:04 AM

Parking is the number-one reason why we changed our minds about living in Federal Hill. You would probably have better luck in Otterbein, as their parking area is much smaller.

Bong477 · 07-21-2008, 08:12 AM

I've lived in federal hill for about a month now. We have a rowhouse with a single car parking pad in the back. It's not THAT bad finding a place to park our other car. The furthest I've had to park... including coming in at 1am on weekends was two blocks away. It is definately a hassle though and can be a pain in the neck. It requires some circling (especially due to the one way streets, etc) and squeezing into some fairly tight spots. I'm very thankful for our parking space... I don't think I could deal with trying to find spaces for both cars on a regular basis.

Scudder · 07-23-2008, 08:38 AM

I've lived in Mt. Vernon for 8 years which has similar parking issues. FINALLY, this year, I broke down and rented a spot. The freedom feels like when you first get your driver's license! Although I don't drive much, except for work, it is amazing how parking issues will drive your life.

csanan · 07-03-2010, 01:11 PM

I'm dealing with a very similar situation - except I'm looking at a place in Federal Hill and one in Bolton Hill and neither have parking. Does anybody know if you can sometimes rent a space from your neighbors? Or are their private lots? I'm not sure which neighborhood would be easier to park in, but I am worried about this, particularly since I have a larger car.