Has Bozeman Solved the Downtown Parking Debate?

This may be the best idea Bozeman has proposed to solve its parking problem yet. 

Earlier this year, we reported about how the City of Bozeman was thinking about installing parking meters downtown in hopes of alleviating traffic. With so many people and such limited parking available downtown, it's constant chaos trying to find somewhere to park.

Get our free mobile app

Unsurprisingly, locals don't want to pay for parking. Furthermore, if they installed parking meters, it would directly affect the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. Many people would likely end up opting to go for free parking in neighborhoods and walk a few extra blocks, rather than park in metered spots. This creates issues for those living in such neighborhoods. Fortunately, the City of Bozeman might have a solution. 

KBZK is reporting that Gallatin County and the City of Bozeman are discussing building a new parking garage behind the Gallatin County Courthouse.

The courthouse's current parking lot can hold roughly 30 vehicles. This new parking garage would be roughly the same size as the parking garage that already exists in downtown Bozeman. They believe they could build a parking garage to accommodate around 400 vehicles. 

That would be massive for downtown Bozeman. Adding a new parking garage in a space that's ready to be built on is genius. Plus, it would be a huge help with parking for huge downtown events like Christmas Stroll, Bite of Bozeman, and Music on Main. 

The only issue is that this parking garage is years down the road. The earliest estimate of its  completion is early 2025. 

Until then, we will have to wait and see what the City of Bozeman plans to do for downtown parking. Hopefully, we won't see any parking meters in the future. 

For more details, check out KBZK.