The garage was approved as a key part of plans to open a downtown hotel and garage. The hotel, Comfort Suites on the first block of South Hanover Street, opened in August. The garage located behind the hotel was held up by numerous design and construction problems. The garage officially opens for business on Monday when motorists will be charged 50 cents an hour for a parking space in the five-tier garage. However, free parking is available in the garage this weekend, starting at 5 p.m. today.
Motorists can enter from a driveway off the first block of West Pomfret Street.
Hotel guests can enter the garage from the hotel driveway off South Hanover Street. Construction delays turned what was supposed to have been a summer treat for the downtown into more of a Christmas present. It was a conglomeration of a lot things. But now that the garage is finished, borough officials believe it will become a boon to downtown redevelopment. And they hope it will alleviate a shortage of downtown parking spaces for customers of nearby merchants.