Opening Nov. 21, Georgetown’s new parking garage to provide 315 downtown spaces
Georgetown residents and city staff alike are “anxiously awaiting” the opening of the city’s first downtown parking garage, Downtown and Tourism Director Kim McAuliffe said. The garage will add over 300 parking spaces and opens to the public this month.
“Parking in downtown has become a bit of a challenge over the years, but it’s been a good problem because it’s been busier, and we have more visitors in downtown and shoppers and diners and people going to the events,” McAuliffe said.
City officials are also moving forward with other parking projects that align with the 2024 downtown master plan—a guiding document for future development—which includes plans to remove around 70 on-street parking spots from the historic square as well as construct additional downtown parking garages.
The city of Georgetown will open its first of several planned downtown parking garages Nov. 21, adding 315 parking spaces to the area. The $23.11 million garage is located on Austin Avenue and Sixth Street.
“This is going to be a great amenity, and it’s going to be free,” McAuliffe said “So, people can park there and know that they don’t have to worry about a lot of parking fees like you might see in … Austin or somewhere else.”
A parking guidance system—technology that directs drivers to empty spots—will connect with the city’s website so visitors can check if parking is available before they visit, Capital Improvements Project Manager Jennifer Bettiol said.
Georgetown’s downtown development and special events department, headed by McAuliffe, will move into office space in the parking garage permanently, once opened. Additionally, the conventions and visitors bureau will temporarily move into the garage while their office is renovated, Bettiol said.
Georgetown first identified the need for a parking garage in its 2015 downtown parking study.
At the time of the study, the biggest challenge for the downtown area, and especially the historic square, was “the overall lack of off-street parking” east of Austin Avenue, the analysis states.
Five years after the study, the city began planning for the parking garage. After delays due to the pandemic, Georgetown identified potential sites for the garage in 2022 and approved the construction contract with Swinerton in January 2023 before breaking ground on the project in March 2024.
