Downtown parking ambassadors to start

Later this month, two downtown parking ambassadors will start working in the downtown parking zone around the Williamson County Courthouse Square. The primary roles for the part-time City of Georgetown employees will be to provide information to residents and visitors on the Square and enforce the three-hour parking ordinance. The downtown parking ambassadors are expected to start by mid-March.

The downtown parking ambassadors will help to direct visitors to free parking lots in the downtown and also provide directions to restaurants, shops, and government offices. Free parking lots are located at 10th and Main streets, Sixth and Main streets, Seventh and Rock streets, Austin Avenue and Fifth Street, Martin Luther King and Eighth streets, and Martin Luther King and Seventh streets. There is a public four-story parking garage at Fourth and Rock streets. The free parking lots and garage do not have a three-hour limit.

The downtown parking ordinance limits on-street parking in the downtown parking zone (see map) to three hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. The three-hour limit does not apply on Saturday or Sunday. A violation of the ordinance can result in a warning followed by a fine of $20 for a second offense, $50 for the third offense, and $100 for a fourth or subsequent offense.

The goal of the three-hour limit for on-street spaces in the downtown zone is to provide for the turnover of these spaces and increase the periodic availability of spaces in the zone throughout the day. The three-hour limit does not apply to disabled parking spaces in the zone. Residents who live in the downtown zone may apply for a residential parking zone permit.

To find out more about events, shops, restaurants, and attractions in downtown Georgetown, go to visit.georgetown.org or arts.georgetown.org or mainstreet.georgetown.org.