In his report, transport policy and stakeholder manager Denis Mander said the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce had sought changes to the operation of the Church St car park, discouraging all-day parking and freeing up spaces for shoppers and short-term parkers.
The council, however, was now looking at the wider issue in relation to two more of its parking areas.
Mr Mander's report recommended the council either increase the leases in the Church St car park to $180 a month, excluding GST, or approve increasing its leased parks at Ballarat St and the Queenstown Recreation Ground, along with Church St, to $180 a month.
If approved, the new prices would be effective from December 1.
They would represent a 650% hike for leaseholders in Ballarat St C, a 300% increase for those in Ballarat St A and B, and a 153% lift for those in the Recreation Ground. Church St users would face a 50% increase.
The Boundary St car park was not included in the recommendation.
Business owner Kim Wilkinson said he was generally supportive of the recommendation, which would address ''some very, very cheap parking'' in the resort for leaseholders.
At the current price, leaseholders in Ballarat St C paid just 79c a day for all-day parking and the 650% increase equated to less than $6 a day.
''That is more reasonable. They're trying to get commuters to rethink how they use their cars. The charging has been way too cheap [and] we need to look at freeing up parking ... for our shoppers.''
A council survey over three days in August showed the main council off-street parks were close to capacity, just over a third of those taken up by all-day parkers, while the privately owned Man St park, where leases cost $150 excluding GST a month, was typically one-third full.
More than 900 cars were parked in the streets around the town centre during the day in unrestricted parking spaces, reducing to just over 500 cars overnight.
''Overall, the survey supports the chamber's contention that there is a scarcity of short-stay parking in the town centre,'' Mr Mander said.
Another option was to have time restrictions on parks, for 180 or 240 minutes.
If the council approved the price hikes, it then needed to decide if that would affect only Church St, or Church St, Ballarat St and the Rec Ground.
Mr Mander said Church St users were being advised of the proposed change, as their response would probably be representative of the views of the wider group affected.
''Wider public consultation has not been undertaken and is not considered necessary, as it will be clear that the holders of parking leases will oppose the increase of charges.''
Mr Mander also recommended no further leases be issued - something that was already being ''phased out in a passive sense'' by no new leases being issued.
