New parking options for business owners in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Parking in the square in Bowling Green may cause a headache, however, the city has a new alternative to assist business owners.

On April 17, Downtown BG announced a new program to alleviate parking frustrations. Two parking lots, located around 816 State St. and Paxton Lot (off of E 10th Ave.) will allow up to around 120 parking spots to be reserved by business owners.

These parking spots are for employees to allow customers to park closer to the businesses.

Bowling Green Downtown Development Director, Telia Butler, has been speaking with area business leaders to find what works best for business employees.

These parking spots allow employees to park there Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside of these hours, these spots become available to the public, similarly to other areas through Bowling Green.

Local business owner, Matthew Bratcher, talked about how parking has been a constant challenge for his business, especially the customers.

“We have a lot of customers come in that are sick, maybe they’re disabled, so they need to park close,” Bratcher said, “That becomes a problem. Having access to more parking spaces would definitely improve commerce downtown.”

As a result of the parking frustrations, Bratcher is moving his business to allow for fewer parking frustrations.

For business owners interested in leasing a parking spot, the price is $35 per spot per month, with a one-time fee of $25 to install a reserved parking sign. If the sign becomes damaged or vandalized, the city will replace it at no cost.

Businesses can choose to lease monthly, quarterly, or annually, and cancel anytime with a 30-day notice.

To start the process of leasing a parking space, you can visit BGKY’s website.

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