Discovery Gardens Parking Rules Overhaul

Modification of Parking Rules in Discovery Gardens: What's Changing for Zen Cluster Residents?

Parking is a sensitive topic for many in the United Arab Emirates, especially in densely populated neighborhoods like Dubai's Discovery Gardens. Frequent disputes and misunderstandings arise over parking entitlements due to the different infrastructure in various community clusters. Recently, the Zen Cluster, also known as the Pink Buildings, has come into focus after Parkonic, the parking management service provider for the area, announced a review of the parking rules.

Why was modification needed?

The Zen Cluster buildings have a unique parking structure. These buildings are not owned by Dubai Holding and have their own basement parking operated by private management. According to the original system, tenants of studio apartments were only allowed to park in the underground garage. However, it soon became clear that the number of basement parking spaces was insufficient compared to the number of residential units.

This situation caused confusion, especially among residents who were entitled to free surface parking in other clusters, while Zen Cluster residents missed out on this benefit. Initial communications from Parkonic suggested that studio apartment tenants were not entitled to free surface parking, which sparked widespread outrage.

Parkonic’s Position and Clarification

The service provider finally responded to residents' inquiries, making it clear: all residential units are entitled to one free parking space — the same as in the rest of Discovery Gardens. For the Zen Cluster, the entitlement previously extended only to basement parking, but as the infrastructure is insufficient, Parkonic has coordinated with building management to provide limited surface parking spaces for each building as a temporary solution.

This modification is not a redefinition of entitlement, but rather an adaptation of the original principle — "one apartment, one parking space" — to suit the given circumstances.

New Parking Allocation: Building by Building

Under the new regulations for the Zen Cluster buildings, surface parking spaces will be allocated as follows:

Buildings 1–6: 80 parking spaces

Building 7 (hotel apartments): not affected

Buildings 8–10: 80 parking spaces

Buildings 11–12: not affected

Buildings 13–20: 68 parking spaces

It is important to note that these new surface parking spaces are not automatically granted; they become available after residents of the respective building register through the management interface. The aim is to avoid unauthorized parking and ensure that these spaces are used by those who actually live there.

What About Those Who Have Already Paid?

Another critical point concerns the residents who have already registered with the Parkonic app and possibly purchased a paid parking subscription, which costs 945 dirhams per month or 2,625 dirhams quarterly.

Parkonic announced that starting January 24, they would temporarily deactivate those digital parking cards issued via PIN-based registration. This does not represent a rejection or sanction, merely an adjustment to the new building-specific allocations.

They also mentioned the possibility of a one-time refund for residents with paid subscriptions, provided it can be proven that they were unable to use the designated parking space for their building during the paid period. However, these refund claims must be submitted by January 30, with all cases reviewed individually and in consultation with building management.

What's Next?

Parkonic advises residents to register their vehicles in their building's management system. Once this is done, the new digital parking card will automatically appear in the app and can be used seamlessly for the designated parking spaces.

Meanwhile, during the transition period, there will still be a limited number of surface parking spaces available, so residents are encouraged to proceed with registration as soon as possible.

Relief Among Residents – But Trust Isn’t Complete

Parkonic's updated announcements brought some relief to Zen Cluster residents, but many remain cautious. The actual implementation, the active cooperation of the building management, and the automatic system updates still leave many questions unanswered.

The biggest concern remains whether registered residents will indeed have access to their allotted surface parking spaces and whether those exiting the previous paid system will get their money back.

Summary

Residents of Discovery Gardens' Zen Cluster have finally received a partial response to a longstanding parking problem. Parkonic's modification does not provide new entitlements but makes the existing one accessible, adjusted to real circumstances. The key to a successful transition will be collaboration with building managers, prompt registration, and maintaining community communication.

While the situation was uncertain for a long time, the new regulations give hope that the parking order will soon be balanced, and all residents of Discovery Gardens can fairly access their allocated spaces.

(Source of the article based on Parkonic's announcement.)