City Council proposes opening 2 parking lots for construction

Development may add revenue; builders must keep spaces open

By Chris Kirkham

The Daily Northwestern

Evanston could open up two of its parking lots — land usually not included on the city’s property-tax rolls — for new construction, after Evanston City Council sent out a request for development proposals last month.

The two proposed city lots, one near Hinman Avenue and South Boulevard and the other near Davis Street and Oak Avenue, are in areas that most aldermen said would not be adversely affected by new development.

The city’s Parking Committee began exploring the concept in the fall, starting with a larger list of city parking lots to consider. Aldermen on the committee limited the discussion to only two lots because of conceivable congestion and traffic problems at the other sites.

But because the council has only sought requests for proposals, aldermen will still have time to discuss any proposals with their constituents before moving forward.

Under the plan, developers would be allowed to build over the parking lots but would have to maintain the same number of parking spaces as before.

“The idea behind it is that given the city’s financial situation, should the city just be sitting on land when the city isn’t generating tax dollars on it?” said Jonathan Perman, executive director of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. “So the idea is to turn the land loose and offer it up for development while keeping the public benefit — which is parking — intact.”

James Wolinski, director of Evanston’s community development department, said the city has used this method twice in the past. One of these projects, the Evanston Place Apartments, 1715 Chicago Ave., must maintain parking for both apartment residents and the city. Wolinski said developers typically would reserve ground floor parking for the city, leaving the upper floors for residents.

Because the plan is only in its initial stages, Evanston parking system manager Jean Baucom said the council might be six months to a year away from final project approvals. But with empty land diminishing in Evanston, Baucom said the proposals generally benefit both parties.

“It makes a better use of the land supply,” she said, “and if they can build more parking, that’s even better.”

Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th), whose ward includes the Davis and Oak lot, said parking availability is always a concern in Evanston but that Evanston’s biggest concern should be getting more tax dollars from any available land.

“A big problem we have is that 42 percent of our property is off the tax rolls,” he said. “If we can get that back on and still keep the parking, it could be a win-win.”