Downtown Valet Parking Lot Reopening August 1

The National Grid valet parking lot at 5 Candle Street is reopening this Saturday, August 1st, after being closed much of the summer for renovations. The lot was expected to be closed for the entire summer, but the construction work was completed early, and it will reopen well ahead of schedule.

While the construction on the historic brick building that sits on the site was underway and the parking lot was closed, the downtown area was without a property that can host over 100 cars a day during the island’s peak season, exacerbating a parking shortage that has plagued Nantucket for years. Now, that lot will be available again with a full month left in the summer, beating expectations.

Parking has been one of the themes of the summer for Nantucket. The Select Board has discussed parking repeatedly, considering paid parking and an impound lot at 2 Fairgrounds Road and going back and forth on plans to potentially remove parking spaces downtown for pedestrian access and public safety.

The renovations, completed by Pearl Construction, include separate operating areas for the valet service and the bag check that the lot also offers, as well as dedicated space for National Grid operations. Other renovations include significant structural repairs and new lighting.

“The reopening addresses a clear need for downtown parking,” the town of Nantucket wrote in a press release.

The historic building is owned by National Grid, and the lot is operated by Valet Park of America. While the lot was closed, Valet Park of America continued to check bags at a temporarily installed storage container, but the valet service paused.