Evanston will give out the the 30-year-old Sherman Avenue garage’s final parking slip at the end of the year, leaving drivers with even fewer places to park in downtown Evanston.
Beginning in January, more than 660 parking spaces will be eliminated as construction workers preparing for the Sherman Plaza development tear down the city-owned garage and pave the way for a $34-million replacement, which will offer more than double the parking spots.
But none of this will be ready until early 2004, when the garage is scheduled to be completed.
With three months until demolition, the city is advising residents to park in garages at 1800 Maple Ave. and 525 Church St. If congestion occurs, which officials say is likely, the city will make decisions to prepare for possible parking shortages.
According to Jean Baucom, the city’s parking system manager, the number of parking spaces during the winter months will be “tough to tell.” She said she estimates current garage space and parking meter spots only accommodate about 90 to 95 percent of users.
“What we will do as the garage does close will be to monitor very carefully what happens at the Church Street and Maple Avenue garages,” she said. “Depending on the business of the garages, we’ll be making sure to see if there will be any need for changes.”
The city already has informed current long-term Sherman garage users that their permits will transfer to the garage on Maple. The city also could change parking along the lakeshore, Baucom said.
The Maple and Church garages combine to offer about 1,800 spaces, although area businesses reserve many of them. The Maple garage charges $73 for a month-long permit and currently is not accepting parking applications.
Beginning Thursday, short-term parking meters downtown will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., further toughening the city’s parking situation. This is an extension of the former hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m — a change approved by Evanston City Council in February.
“(With parking meters) going till 9 p.m., it’s kind of a double whammy,” said Troy Thiel, president of Evanston Small Business Association. He said that the added hours allow for “meter-feeders” — those who add money to meters after they have expired once — to manipulate parking meters.
Thiel, a member of Evanston’s Parking Committee, said meter-feeders take away key parking spots for customers and help drive down sales for many downtown businesses.
“It’s an impediment to good business,” he said. “(Some) restaurant employees are hurting their own restaurant and own employers by keeping customers away.”
If parking availability suffers, Thiel said the city should provide businesses with incentives such as discounted employee permits for the other garages.
“We really need to work as a business community to help do whatever it takes to get employees long-term parking permits,” he said.
Alicia Lyles, an employee for Foot Locker, 1705 Sherman Ave., said she regularly pays $10 a day for parking in the Sherman Avenue garage and has a problem “paying to come to work.” She supports efforts to make parking more accessible.
“We have nowhere to park and as far as shoppers go, you go to Old Orchard (Center in Skokie) and you don’t have to pay for parking,” Lyles said.
Baucom said over the past two years the city has conducted surveys on the Sherman Avenue garage to help aid future decisions, such as the possibility of an employee parking discount.
“There will be some difficult times for parking,” she said. “We encourage people to carpool and use other methods of transportation.”
