georgetown works
by Charlotte Kovalchuk • charlotte@georgetownview.com images courtesy Georgetown City Council
Downtown Parking Garage
Project Aims to Alleviate Downtown Parking Challenges
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potential parking garage site at the Tamiro Plaza lot could be the key to solving Georgetown’s downtown parking problem for the near future. Mayor Josh Schroeder says, “This is phase 1. There will be multiple parking garages.” Five parking garage sites were discussed at the City Council workshop November 9: 1. Austin Avenue and Fourth Street by the Monument Café, owned by the city; potential construction cost $8.2 million - $17.9 million 2. Austin Avenue and Sixth Street by the Tamiro Plaza, not owned by the city; potential construction cost $10.4 million - $11.5 million 3. Sixth and Main Streets by Tejas Meat Supply, owned by the city; potential construction cost $7 million - $8 million 30
4. Ninth and Forest Streets by the Georgetown Public Library, owned by the city; potential construction cost $3.5 million to $4.5 million 5. Ninth and Main Streets by Grace Heritage Center, owned by the city; potential construction cost $7.1 million - $21.7 million Driven by Georgetown’s growing pains, the parking garage project has been in the works since 2015. “We’ve seen an uptick in the use of our downtown area even during COVID,” Councilwoman Amanda Parr says. “We have multiple new businesses on the Square. This is leading to more people spending more time on the Square, which is what we want people to do, but there has to be a place for them to park. I think there’s no surprise that we’re all supportive of the need for a parking garage. The parking problem has become imminent.”
DECE MBER 20 21 GEO R GE TO W N V I EW
All seven council members supported the Tamiro Plaza location, citing its proximity to the Square, low impact on public parking during construction, and easy access from major-thoroughfare Austin Avenue. While the city doesn’t own the Tamiro Plaza lot, Mayor Schroeder says the owners are interested in selling the property. “[Staff] didn’t want to get too far in discussions until they ran it by Council to see if Council thought it was a viable option,” he says, assuring that there is “absolutely zero chance that we will use condemnation authority.” The Monument and library sites were quickly opposed by council members, with some saying the library lot is too small to meet the parking demand and both areas already have plenty of parking. Councilman Steve Fought added that people with handicaps would have a hard time getting to the Square from the sites. Most members were also against the Sixth and Main lot, noting its small size, proximity
