Free Holiday Parking in Downtown State College to Begin Nov. 22

State College Borough and the Downtown State College Improvement District are once again partnering to offer free holiday season parking starting this month, this time for a longer period than in previous years.

Downtown State College businesses will offer free four-hour parking validations to customers from Nov. 22 (three days before Thanksgiving) to Jan. 2 for the Beaver, Fraser and Pugh garages.

During the same period of time, the borough will allow free street and surface lot parking with a three-hour time limit.

Unlimited garage parking will be free from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2.

Borough council unanimously approved the holiday parking program at its meeting on Monday night.

In past years, free meter parking and unlimited garage parking has only been place for about a week leading up to Christmas, while the four-hour parking validations began the day after Thanksgiving. All parking was free last year as the borough had suspended parking operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, wrote in a letter requesting the 2021 holiday parking program that downtown businesses are encouraging patrons to start their shopping earlier this year.

“Our district’s businesses believe this is the most valuable service we provide each year,” she wrote. “We are encouraging all customers to shop early this holiday season due to global supply chain issues, and look to this program to encourage that behavior.”