Signs indicate the new parking regulations in Reston Town Center, sparking a backlash from businesses and customers. (Pete Marovich/For The Washington Post)

A Northern Virginia restaurant on Thursday sued the owners of the Reston Town Center, arguing that $2-per-hour parking fees at the shopping district violate a lease agreement and have damaged business.

Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge is one of several businesses that have complained about decreasing sales since Boston Properties implemented the fees in January.

Earlier this month, several hundred people marched near the town center in protest over the parking fees.

In a lawsuit filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Jackson’s seeks to force Boston Properties to pay $500,000 in damages, pay for validating parking for customers and do away with its parking payment system, which involves the use of a smartphone application that visitors must download before they can initiate a parking session. Anyone seeking parking validation must park in a color-coded garage assigned to the business they’ve visited.

“Our team has been inundated with complaints from guests who tell us that the process . . . is cumbersome and confusing,” Orson Williams, managing partner at Jackson’s, said in a statement.

Parking enforcement officers Diaz Concepcion and Taylor Evans check cars for valid parking sessions at Reston Town Center. (Pete Marovich/For The Washington Post)

A Boston Properties spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The real estate investment trust has owned portions of the town center since the mid-2000s, and took over full ownership in 2015.

Great American Restaurants, which own’s Jackson’s, said Boston Properties had agreed to provide free parking to customers during lease negotiations in 2007.

“We did not want to have to sue and we tried to work with Boston Properties to address our concerns and our rights under the lease to give our customers free and hassle-free parking,” said Jon Norton, chief executive officer of Great American Restaurants. “But they were uncompromising and appeared disinterested in working with us to provide our guests a better experience at Reston Town Center.”