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Downtown parking study urges signage, shared parking and operational changes
Summary
Walker Consultants presented a downtown parking study showing more than 3,000 total spaces (about 1,700 private), a weekday peak occupancy near 49% at 11 a.m., and recommended improved signage, shared-use agreements, limited-time parking changes, valet options and targeted marketing to better use underutilized metro lots.
Glenview — Consultants from Walker Consultants presented a downtown parking study to the Board of Trustees on Aug. 5, summarizing current inventory, survey feedback and operational recommendations to improve parking availability as new restaurants and development activate the downtown.
Consultants said the study area contains over 3,000 parking spaces, roughly 1,700 of which are private off-street spaces, and summarized existing constraints: on-street hot spots along Glenview Road and near the library parking structure, and near-full metro lots during weekday business hours. The consultants reported a weekday peak observation of about 1,500 cars (roughly 49% occupancy villagewide at the 11 a.m. peak) and lower Saturday occupancy (roughly 28% at peak times).
Andrew Baglini of Walker Consultants said the downtown should be "treated as an asset that needs to be managed," recommending a package of actions: improved wayfinding and a downtown parking map, shared-parking agreements with large private lots (for example OLPH, Colonial Court, Heinen's), conversion of selected metro spaces to timed downtown public parking, extending two-hour on-street limits to 8 p.m. on Glenview Road, stepped-up time-limit enforcement (not intended as a revenue generator), and pilot valet and valet-vehicle-storage programs.
The consultants also said an online public survey drew more than 1,000 respondents, most visitors by car, and that marketing underused metro lots for evening use could capture capacity as commuter parkers leave. Trustees asked about phased implementation, quadrant-level operational plans, concerns about employees parking in nearby residential areas, and the timeline for wayfinding signage; the consultant said signage installation is expected in September.
What’s next: Staff will work through the consultant recommendations, pursue potential shared-parking agreements, pilot operational changes, and follow up with parking counts and a perception survey to measure effectiveness.
