Storrs center parking garage now open

The Storrs Center Parking Garage opened its gates to the public on September 19, marking the completion of a large phase of construction on Dog Lane.

The new parking garage offers parking to the general public, but especially accommodates Oak Apartment residents, employees of Storrs Center’s many new shops and restaurants as well as customers. It is not, however, geared towards events at UConn.

“We planned the amount of spaces based on the new developments,” said Cynthia van Zelm, executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership. “However, it is open for everyone in town.”

In its first week, people attending the Festival on The Green used the parking garage. This event, said Van Zelm, provided a good idea of the ease the new garage will provide to the town.

“It’s working fine,” said Van Zelm, citing no issues with the garage as of yet.

The Storrs Center Parking Garage is free for the first two hours and one dollar for each additional hour. The daily maximum is eight dollars. Patrons can pay with either a credit card or with cash upon exit.

Oak Apartment residents are provided parking on the top two floors of the parking garage. Employees who use the parking garage regularly have monthly passes to defwer the costs. For all other customers, Van Zelm encourages them to park on the bottom two floors to keep the flow of traffic smooth since activity in the parking garage is expected to rise as the Storrs Center project nears completion.