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Friday, March 29, 2024

On Tuesday, Municipal Lot 5 in Central Square closes to public parking for an expected three months. (Photo: Google)

Municipal Lot 5 in Central Square closes for public parking Tuesday, paving the way for the seasonal “Starlight Square” concept to enliven the area during coronavirus, the city said in a Thursday email.

The lot, at Bishop Allen Drive and Norfolk Street, will be closed for parking through the late fall, the city said. Drivers coming to Central Square have alternative parking options, including on-street meters, the Green Street Parking Garage at 260 Green St., Lot 4 at Bishop Allen Drive and Essex Street and Lots 8 and 9, at Green and Pleasant streets.

Starlight Square is a project of the Central Square Business Improvement District that will transform the lot into an outdoor amphitheater with physically distant seating; a courtyard for dining; a community center for summer learning and food distribution; and the Central Square  Farmers Market, which runs from noon to 6 p.m. Mondays.

A crowdfunding campaign is active to supplement funding from foundations and other sources and get the project to the needed $250,000. Starlight Square is intended to stay open August through October with seven-day programming from partners such as the Central Square Theater, Dance Complex and ImprovBoston comedy club.