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Downtown Libertyville expects parking crunch while deck is built

Construction fencing won't go up for another few months, but efforts are in full swing to prepare drivers and businesses for what is expected to be a disruptive time in an already crowded downtown Libertyville.

Public parking south of the village-owned Civic Center on Church Street will become unavailable once work begins on a parking deck intended to provide more spaces for residents and visitors who at times flood the area for its many restaurants, shops and activities.

“We're actually having discussions about Libertyville Days,” Police Chief Clint Herdegen said of the popular festival held every summer at what will be the heart of the construction.

“So many people who visit and frequent Libertyville have no idea that garage is going in,” he said. “We're trying to hear everybody's concerns and figure out a way to address all of them.”

Among them will be the business community and other entities including the Civic Center, which houses the village's senior center and has rentals and other events most days and two churches.

“There are times we can have over 300 people in our building,” said Anne Carlino, executive director of the Libertyville Civic Center Foundation. The Civic Center has a 16-car lot to the west of its building that won't be affected by the construction, but pickups and drop-offs in front could become an issue.

The village built and opened a 360-space deck a few blocks north at Lake Street and Brainerd Avenue in 2009, but officials always have envisioned a second parking structure to serve the booming downtown. Options on the east side of Milwaukee Avenue, the main thoroughfare, were explored but determined not to be feasible.

The village began planning for a second west-side garage more than a year ago and recently approved the design for a 340-space deck estimated to cost about $8 million. Bids are expected to be awarded early next year, with work beginning in mid-February and lasting until the end of October.

Because it is being built to alleviate parking pressure, its construction will pose some difficulties as the existing 100 spaces it is replacing will be off limits.

“It's just a coordination effort,” said Heather Rowe, the village's economic development director. “Right now, we're reaching out to individuals with open lots in that area to see if we can work together.”

Shuttle buses also are a likely scenario, but where and how often they would run, as well as funding, is to be determined. Besides information on the village website and newsletter, a more far-reaching public relations campaign to show alternative parking opportunities and project status are considered essential.

“If we can get that out to the collar communities, I think that would be beneficial,” said M.J. Seiler, a local real estate broker and member of the village's parking commission.

Logistics of how this will work are in high gear.

“If we're digging in February, a lot is going to happen between now and then,” Herdegen said.

@dhmickzawislak

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  Public parking south of Church Street in downtown Libertyville will be off limits beginning early next year as a parking deck is built in its place. Mick Zawislak/mzawislak@dailyherald.com
An artist rendering of a parking deck to be built next year in downtown Libertyville. Courtesy of Walker Parking Consultants
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