City Inks Free Downtown Parking Pact

Portsmouth residents and visitors will soon be able to park in the heart of the downtown for free after city officials signed an agreement with the federal government to lease 33 spaces in the Thomas J. McIntyre Federal Building lot.

Thomas Cocchiaro, parking operations supervisor, wrote in an e-mail the spaces will be available from Friday through Sunday and people will be able to park in the spaces for up to three hours. The entrance to the lot is located near the intersection of Penhallow and Bow streets.

“Given the needs of city we are grateful to regional GSA officials for their willingness to help us to solve some of our downtown parking challenges,” said John Bohenko, Portsmouth city manager, in a prepared statement.  “Now it’s up to us to make sure we follow their rules and abide by the license hours to insure a lasting relationship.”

Cocchiaro noted the hours for the lot are Fridays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday morning; 6 a.m. Saturday morning to 2 a.m. Sunday morning, and 6 a.m. Sunday morning to 2 a.m. Monday morning.  Federal holidays, which include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, will be treated the same as Sundays.   Vehicles found in the lot between 2 and 6 a.m. on the approved days will be towed at the owner’s expense.

He also wrote in his e-mail that vehicles will be monitored for time violations during normal enforcement hours which are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays.  Approved parking spaces in the lot are numbered 10 through 42. He noted that spaces 4 through 9 are reserved for government vehicles only and vehicles found in unapproved spaces will be towed at the owner’s expense.

According to Cocchiaro, the agreement also stipulates the following restrictions:

• no consumption of alcohol
• no use or storage of hazardous substances
• no firearms permitted on the premises
• no idling of vehicles or equipment.

For a downloadable diagram of approved parking spaces in the McIntyre Lot and a copy of this release, please visit www.cityofportsmouth.com/transportation or www.parkportsmouth.com.