"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.
In a nutshell
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.
How we got here
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.
The city acquired the garage’s site, which was previously the Tamiro Plaza private parking lot that “no one was really using,” McAuliffe said.
“We strategically did it where we have it currently in hopes that as more development comes downtown, we can be mindful of the impacts we have on the businesses down there,” McAuliffe said.
Path to more parking
- July 2015: City conducts downtown parking study
- January 2020: City Council begins workshops on downtown parking garage
- April 2022: Council selects Tamiro Plaza as the garage site
- January 2023: Council approves garage construction contract
- March 2024: City breaks down on the garage
- Nov. 21, 2025: Grand opening for the garage
The parking study and the new garage play into the city’s downtown master plan, McAuliffe said. Georgetown adopted its most recent plan last year, which recommends removing 71 of the 120 on-street parking spots from the square.
This will allow room for wider, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, McAuliffe said. Expanding the sidewalks in front of businesses downtown will also allow for additional retail and dining uses, Bettiol said.
“I think we’ve seen more and more of our retail partners downtown really embracing utilizing that space in front of their retail and their restaurant-type establishments to be able to reach out and just engage with the community that’s walking by,” Bettiol said.
The new downtown garage will help supplement the need for parking while the city works to eventually renovate the square, McAuliffe said.
People who work downtown, like Karen Kofnovec at Red Bird Mercantile, are excited for the access both the garage and changes to the square will allow.
“Absolutely it will [improve parking] because people drive around and around four times before they find a parking place, and they get tired of that,” Kofnovec said.
In similar news
During major downtown events, the city typically blocks off driving access to some streets. Once the garage opens, the city hopes to utilize its parking availability for these events, Bettiol said.
Georgetown will host its annual Christmas Stroll in early December, two weeks after the garage opens. The garage will not be accessible to the public during the parade but will open once that event ends, McAuliffe said.
The Christmas Stroll will also act as a trial run for how the city might direct traffic during the Red Poppy Festival in April.
“If this works out well, we’ll plan to do the same for Red Poppy Festival,” McAuliffe said.
Dates to know
- Candyland Christmas Stroll: Dec. 5-7
- Red Poppy Festival: April 24-26
The 2024 downtown master plan recommends additional downtown garages, though the city has no concrete plans for construction at this time. Potential sites include any of the city-owned parking lots, McAuliffe said.
She said the city is evaluating design options and funding sources.
“We are actively working on the details for parking garage No. 2,” McAuliffe said.
A recent partnership with the Texas Municipal League’s Intergovernmental Risk Pool, which will establish its headquarters in downtown Georgetown, could potentially lead to funding for a parking garage at the public lot near East Ninth and South Main streets, a city news release states.
“We look forward to also continuing discussions with the Risk Pool on a partnership to build the next parking garage in downtown Georgetown,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in a statement.
