No Target Date for Opening New Water Street Parking Garage

The parking crunch around the Boscov's store in downtown Binghamton won't be going away any time soon.

Pike Development had been on track to complete construction of a new parking garage by the end of next summer. Work on the project - including some pile driving for the future structure - continued through mid-October when it was halted.

Mayor Jared Kraham said a "very ambitious plan" had been developed for the site of the old parking ramp which was demolished last year. The plan called for construction of a new garage with an apartment complex to be built above the parking structure.

Kraham said the overall project was put at risk when the city Board of Education rejected a proposed tax break that was part of a complex financing package.

The mayor told WNBF News while it was not possible for the original project to move forward, the city is proceeding with plans to construct a parking garage.

Kraham said the city has signed a contract with a company to provide the precast concrete section for the structure. He said the garage will be designed in a way to permit a private developer to build housing above it in the future.

The mayor said he expects work on the parking facility to resume sometime next spring.

Kraham said he understands the importance of the garage to Boscov's and other downtown entities.

While the completion date of the structure is uncertain, the mayor said it may be possible to open up the ground floor before the upper levels are finished. He suggested that means some parking could become available as work on the lower sections is completed.

Kraham said that's something that will be considered because "60 spots in that garage is better than zero and 120 would be better than 60." He's hoping there'll be some parking available in the facility for next year's holiday shopping season.

VIDEO: Construction crews were busy at the site of the future parking structure in October.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.