New Parking Spaces May Soon Open In Downtown Yakima

The city of Yakima is about to add more than 400 new parking spaces in the downtown area. City Manager Tony O'Rourke says he'll ask the council to approve an agreement with businessman Joe Moyer for use of the lot across from the Yakima Herald Republic newspaper on 4th street and for the use of 200 spaces inside the former Yakima Mall parking garage. And he says the city will add another 60 angled spaces near the proposed plaza downtown. "So within a couple of blocks of the Capital Theater we'll add about 446 new spaces for the public." He says the city won't pay for the use of the lot on 4th street but will pay $2,000 a month for use of the parking garage. That is if the agreement is approved by the city council at its next meeting on Tuesday.
The agreement also calls for the addition of security in the mall parking lot and additional lighting at lots around the downtown area.