Downtown Lake Charles Parking Problems Are Getting Worse, Here’s Why

KNGT | Lake Charles, LA — Downtown Lake Charles has always had a little charm to it. You got good food, local shopping, live music sometimes, and just that feeling of being in the heart of the city. But lately… parking downtown is getting harder and harder to deal with, and folks are starting to notice it.

The large parking lot and the corner of Ryan Street and Broad Street is now closed according to KPLCTV. The lot is owned by the United Way of Southwest Louisiana. The closure came after "variances for a planned new building were denied" according to reports.

Where to Park in Downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana

Parking downtown already kinda sucked before this happened. Now you can drive around for what feels like forever just trying to find a spot that ain’t six blocks away from where you actually wanna go. A lotta people don’t wanna fight traffic, circle the block ten times, then finally give up and leave. I know because I’ve done it myself more than once.

There have been nights where Laura and I planned on eating downtown, got there, couldn’t find parking anywhere close, and just decided to go somewhere else. And look, this ain’t a jab at any of the businesses downtown because I absolutely love those places. Luna Bar & Grill is one of my favorite spots. Same thing with Tia Juanita's Fish Camp. Great food. Great people.

And the shopping downtown? Man, there are some really cool places. Buffi's Peaux Boys, All Put Together, and The Emporium all bring something special to downtown Lake Charles. These are local businesses that make our area unique. They’re the kinda places you want visitors to experience when they come through SWLA.

But if folks can’t park… they’re eventually gonna stop coming.

Now there is some hope on the way. The city now owns the old Capital One Tower Parking Garage parking garage, and plans are in place to revamp it and reopen it for public use. For me it would feel like home again, I worked in the Capital One Tower for over 10 years and parked in the garage every day. Lets hope they can speed this remodel along, it could be a huge help for downtown businesses and visitors.

Because the truth is, downtown Lake Charles needs parking that actually works. Folks wanna support local businesses. They wanna eat downtown, shop downtown, and spend money downtown. But convenience matters too.

Let’s just hope the city speeds this process along before some of these businesses really start to suffer. Downtown has too many good people and too many good spots to lose because nobody can find a parking place.