СŷƵ

Skip to content

Breaking News

Where can you park in Easton? Officials get ‘creative’ to add spots and alleviate downtown parking crunch

On-street parking can be tough on busy days in Downtown Easton. City officials  announced Thursday, July 3, 2025, they have reached new parking agreements that will add 325 spaces in or close to downtown, with plans to add more. (Jane Therese/Special to СŷƵ)
On-street parking can be tough on busy days in Downtown Easton. City officials announced Thursday, July 3, 2025, they have reached new parking agreements that will add 325 spaces in or close to downtown, with plans to add more. (Jane Therese/Special to СŷƵ)
Author
UPDATED:

Thirty years ago, the big question for visitors who came to the Downtown Easton venue was finding spaces for their vehicles, said Shelley Brown, president and CEO of the State Theatre.

“Here we are, years later,” Brown said, “and it’s the same: ‘Where do I park?’ All things revolve around parking.”

Brown joined Thursday with Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and other local leaders to announce the city is adding 325 parking spaces through leases with Northampton County and the Social Security Administration property owner in the 100 block of South Fourth Street. The city lease with the county will cover 250 spots along Washington and South Union streets, with another 75 spaces planned for the Social Security building.

The shortage of parking stems from Easton’s popularity in drawing new residents as well as visitors to its tourist attractions, restaurants and niche businesses. СŷƵ highlighted the problem in a 2023 story in which some merchants expressed frustration over a lack of enough spaces for customers and their employees.

While the downtown has approximately 1,825 available spots either at street meters or its two parking lots, city Administrator Luis Campos and other officials said it’s not enough when downtown swells with visitors attending shows or dining at restaurants.

Officials hope the leases relieve some of the pressure of finding room to park on weekends and at events held downtown, including Garlic Fest and Bacon Fest, which can draw upward of 75,000 people.

Campos said officials are trying to creatively work within the network of parking lots dotting the city. After reaching verbal agreements and now leases with the county and Social Security property owner, Douglas Kelly of Emerald Group in Bethlehem, officials hope eventually to sign up private lot owners to be able to add spaces during their off-peak hours.

Officials said they tested the county-owned parking lots for the Freddy Awards and other recent events held at the State, which is several blocks away from the Washington Street lot. An average of 50 cars took advantage of the parking, which was free. In the future, officials plan to charge a rate to use the lots.

“The more we advertise this and the more culturally everyone understands the different parking options, the more popular they will be,” Campos said.

Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure, who also spoke at the news conference behind the city’s intermodal transportation center on South Third Street, agreed more parking can only help improve Easton’s image as a destination spot.

“Easton is becoming a magnet, not only for people who want to live here, but as a job creator,” McClure said. “Easton’s progress cannot be derailed by a lack of parking.”

The leases will need approvals from city and county councils, Campos said.

Merchants in the city’s restaurant and service industries who attended the news conference were optimistic about the effort.

“When we think about the dining experience, one thing we don’t want our guests to think about is can we get into Easton?” said Chris Chang, operations director at Enjoy with Gusto Hospitality Group. “Is there parking available? Those are two things they shouldn’t have to think about, and giving them more opportunities is great.”

Campos said officials hope the new lots, which will have fees like meters and the parking garages, will be running in August. People can learn more on the . In addition, he said, merchants and the Greater Easton Development Partnership can work with event ticketholders or visitors on information about the additional available parking.

Brown said Thursday’s news is emblematic of officials working together to address an issue.

“We are optimistic,” she said. “We will have bumps along the way. But this is an example of listening [on ways to deal with parking].”

Campos acknowledged the latest effort won’t completely solve the lack of parking for major downtown events. He said officials are working “consistently” toward better alleviating the crunch.

“There are a lot of creative things,” he said. “It just takes some time.”

Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.

Originally Published:

RevContent Feed

More in Local News