BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Christmas City now has more parking just in time for its busy holiday season.
The former Walnut Street Garage in Bethlehem was torn down nearly two years ago and now it is back and better than ever.
The Walnut Street Garage is officially re-open for business.
“We waited until after the 2023 Christmas season to start this work in January and February of 2024,” says Mayor J. William Reynolds, City of Bethlehem
Located in the heart of the city’s northside, the lot features 517 spots and 3,000 square feet of retail space.
“It’s not every day that you build a parking garage within a historic district that buts up to a neighborhood, so there were some obvious challenges through that, but we have a great team that we’ve put around us, and you know we got it done,” says Steven Fernstrom, Executive Director, Bethlehem Parking Authority.
The lot aims to draw more people downtown and spark more sales for nearby businesses.
“This was a dead block and now it is a block that is vibrant and alive and attracting people,” says Mayor Reynolds.
This has been a week full of ‘Walnut Week’ celebrations,
The city is Wrapping up by offering free parking in the lot through Saturday for four hours at a time and tomorrow, several nearby restaurants will be running specials.