North Hills introduced its Power Parking program in September 2025. The program requires drivers to register their vehicle by scanning a QR code before parking in certain areas. When the program launched, shoppers received three hours of complimentary parking. That changed in June 2026, when the free parking period was reduced to two hours. The problem? At least one sign still advertised three hours of free parking.
Courtney Carroll says she was careful to check the sign before heading to dinner.
"I purposely looked at that sign and said, three hours," she said.
Carroll even took a picture of the sign, which showed three hours of free parking with license plate registration. She scanned the QR code, registered her vehicle, and thought she had enough time to enjoy her meal. Then she received a text message.
"While I was at dinner, I saw a text that said, ' Your parking is about to expire,'" she said.
Carroll says she was surprised to learn her complimentary parking period was only two hours.
"I think it's very misleading that you are kind of being forced to pay into that, especially when it was advertised as three-hour parking, and then you get a text two hours into dinner, your kind of forced to pay, otherwise you're going to get the ticket." Carroll filed a complaint with Troubleshooter Diane Wilson and Power Parking.
Carroll isn't the only shopper who says she was confused by parking information at North Hills. Holly Swenson says she's noticed different parking information in the area. She adds, "I parked around here without a problem then, and now I feel confused. Because it's 10 minutes right there. This is two hours, and it's short-term parking, so there's a lot of conflicting information."
Troubleshooter Diane Wilson visited the area and found signs showing two hours of complimentary parking. Some of the signs have a sticker covering the previous "3," replacing it with "2."
Kane Realty, which operates North Hills, says Power Parking originally launched with three complimentary hours in September 2025. The company says the free period changed to two hours in June 2026 and signage was updated throughout the applicable areas. Kane Realty acknowledges one sign still displayed the three-hour parking period. The company says that sign has now been corrected. The company also apologized for the confusion. Kane Realty says anyone who experienced an issue with the parking program can contact the company directly and may be eligible for a courtesy waiver. Drivers can contact parking@visitnorthhills.com.
The company says the registration system allows North Hills to track when a complimentary parking session begins and ends. It also allows the company to notify drivers before their free time expires and give them the option to extend their parking session. Kane Realty says the two-hour complimentary period is based on the average amount of time visitors spend at North Hills and is comparable to parking programs in downtown Raleigh. The company says Power Parking is intended to help manage parking demand and keep convenient spaces available during busy periods.
Power Parking is currently active in portions of the Park District and North Hills Innovation District. Kane Realty says the program will expand later this year to the Advance Auto Parts Tower deck and Midtown Plaza decks. The company says surface-level parking spaces in the Main and Lassiter Districts are expected to be added in the first quarter of 2027. The Main District deck and Target lot will not be included in that Q1 2027 launch. For now, drivers parking in areas with Power Parking should look carefully at the signs, scan the QR code, and register their vehicle.
Carroll is happy the sign was corrected but says registering her car to park at North Hills does deter her from visiting the area.
"It's one more added worry; I think it really deters people from going out and spending money. It deters me; if I have to deal with this, I'm not coming back, unfortunately," she said. "After a long day at work, you're just like I just want to go get dinner and not have to worry about free two-hour parking and registering."
Download the ABC11 News app