BETHESDA PUBLIC PARKING LOT 8 OPENS - FINALLY!

Bethesda's newest public parking lot, Lot 8 on St. Elmo Avenue between Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues, opened Monday after months of delay by the county.

Lighting has finally been installed

Don't let word get out about the best parking in
town - it's our little secret on St. Elmo Avenue!

Thank the Monopoly Guy for free parking; meters haven't been installed, but are scheduled to be by next Monday.

No meters!  Plenty of free parking
and upscale ambiance

Free surface parking - this is what
America's all about!

There is a 2 hour time limit.  Please check all signage when parking for updated policies.

2 hour limit - don't get towed
away by The Man!

Until then, enjoy the best kept secret in downtown Bethesda parking - Lot 8!

DOWNTOWN BETHESDA'S NEW PARKING LOT DELAYED

DESPITE CLOSURE OF 3 DOWNTOWN

PUBLIC PARKING LOTS, NEW LOT 8

YET TO OPEN ON ST. ELMO

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Summer is almost here.  The weather is getting warmer.  College students will be returning home in the coming weeks.  In other words, the peak time of the year for downtown Bethesda is upon us.  With it comes more pedestrians, more outdoor diners and more cars.

With a whopping 3 downtown public parking lots now closed, where are they going to park?

It's unlikely the Bethesda Row public garage will be saying 100 vacancies on the electronic counter outside, when temperatures and weather turn wonderful.

One small band-aid was the new Lot 8 on St. Elmo Avenue.  Yet, it seems to have been abandoned for months.  As of Tuesday evening, it was still barricaded and closed to the public.  The lights were to have been installed, and everything else appeared to be in place.

So what happened?

Time's running out to get Lot 8 open for summer!  It's clear what has to be done.  Now, as James Carville would say, they "need to get down here and start doin' it!"

EXCLUSIVE SNEAK

PREVIEW:

BETHESDA'S NEWEST

PARKING LOT

St. Elmo Avenue Public Parking Lot 8

Aims to Ease Bethesda's Parking Nightmare

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

You can't park there.

But you can take in the majesty of downtown Bethesda's newest parking lot in these super-exclusive photos.

Montgomery County's St. Elmo Avenue Public Parking Lot 8 is nearly ready to receive its first (paying) customers. The last step is to add the lighting (Capital Properties could learn a thing or two from the county in that regard!).

Lot 8 is small and tucked away off St. Elmo Avenue behind The Corner Slice. It's just past the intersection at Norfolk Avenue on your left. While most attention is on the April 1 closing of two public lots on Bethesda Avenue, Lot 8 is more directly a replacement for a just-closed surface lot in the Del Ray/Auburn Avenue area of "Old Town" Bethesda.

Lot 8 offers traditional parking spaces on the left side, and parallel spaces on the right. Meters max out at 2 hours, and, of course, disabled parkers will find a space here, too.

This is a good lot to use to visit Rock Bottom, Union Jack's, Hanaro or BlackFinn - but please limit yourself alcohol-wise if you're getting back behind the wheel!

Speaking of alcohol, Lot 8 is also perfect for a quick stop at Capital Beer and Wine, or to pick up a hot pizza pie at the aforementioned Corner Slice.

Dining-in at Annie's Bistro Francais, Chef Tony's or the Red Tomato Cafe is made easier by Lot 8, too. A 2-hour time limit is more reasonable than those 1-hour jokers you often find among Bethesda parking meters.

Lot 8 is the Revenge of Surface Parking Lots. And that's great news for Bethesda drivers. If you can snag a space.

So check out that fresh asphalt and paint! Will you be the first to park in Lot 8?