The Downtown Parking Authority: Free Parking Update
We know some of you who work downtown have been feeling frustrated about parking lately, especially with one of our free lots (the yellow lot) being filled by contractors working on the new library. Change is never easy, and we want you to know we hear you, and we have investigated this situation thoroughly to try and come to a resolution for our Downtown business community.
Here’s the situation: the Downtown Parking Authority operates as an independent group, and we’re responsible for keeping our parking system running fairly and sustainably. Right now, the system we use is expensive, and the only way we can keep control of parking local (instead of outsourcing to a big company like LAZ Parking) is by making sure our paid permits and passes cover the costs. That means we can’t just open every lot up for free use, as much as we wish we could.
While the yellow lot is typically available for use by downtown business owners and the public, as part of their agreement with the Town of Manchester, the contractors working on our new library have been granted access to the lot during construction. And as a private entity contracted by the town, they have every right to utilize our free lots on a first come, first served basis. This access is essential to support the progress and timely completion of the library build.
We understand that’s inconvenient for employees who relied on that space, but it’s first come, first served.
The good news is:
· There are still free options available, like the Saint James Church lot (cyan) and the Cottage Street Lot (red)
· If you're looking for a more central location, the Purnell Lot (orange and purple), the Forest Street Lot (green), and the Birch Street Lot (brown) only cost about $2 a day
· If you would like to purchase bulk parking passes or permits, there as options as low as $20/month
All of the information on our parking program can be found here: https://www.downtownmanchester.org/parking
You are always welcome to reach out to our office with questions (contact info at the bottom of this post).
We want to be upfront: free parking downtown is always going to be limited. Our long-term vision is for Downtown to be so vibrant and busy that free spaces will be harder to find. Nobody is entitled to free parking, but we’re working hard to balance fairness with sustainability so we can keep control of parking here in Manchester, run by locals who know and care about our community.
We know this isn’t the answer some of you were hoping for, but we didn’t want to just say “no” without explaining why. Thank you for your understanding.
Warm Regards,
The Downtown Parking Authority
Contact our Office:
Kate Sulick
Downtown Manager (Interim)
Downtown Manchester Special Services District
📍 903 Main Street, Manchester, CT 06040
📞 (860) 647-5276
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.downtownmanchester.org
