Evanston advisory council reviews draft stadium transportation plan, sets June 2 recommendation target

Peter Lemon, a consultant with Kimley‑Horn, laid out a draft transportation‑management plan for the new stadium at a Ryan Field advisory council meeting in Evanston on Tuesday, saying the plan assumes roughly 1,391 on‑site parking spaces and a mix of nearby garage, surface and shuttle‑served lots.

The plan’s inventory, Lemon said, includes about 900 spaces in the west lot, roughly 309 in the east lot and about 182 in a north lot created in the outfield area. He also cited agreements and nearby public supply: “there’s an agreement [with the hospital] for 700 spaces,” and “about 2,800 spaces downtown” that could be used with shuttle service, Lemon said.

Council members and neighborhood residents focused the discussion on how fewer street parking options—resulting from recently implemented residential permit restrictions—would change the demand for managed lots, and on how to prevent event traffic from spilling into nearby blocks. “We’re not assuming anyone’s parking in a neighborhood at this point,” Lemon said, while residents urged concrete neighborhood protections such as sawhorses or staffed access points so residents can reach their homes without lengthy confrontations with officers.

Why it matters: The advisory council’s review will shape operational details managers use this summer and fall, including…