Naperville to study downtown parking this weekend
People parking in downtown Naperville this weekend may have a chance to share their satisfaction - or frustration - with their ability to find a spot.
City staff members plan to conduct in-person parking surveys from noon to 9 p.m. Friday and counts of parking occupancy in public and private spaces from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as long as it doesn't rain, said Jennifer Louden, deputy director of transportation, engineering and development.
The surveys and parking counts will give the city the latest update to a data set it has been collecting regularly since 2001.
The last time parking in the downtown was studied, in July 2015, satisfaction dropped to its lowest level yet. The 50 percent satisfaction rate recorded two years ago dropped from 61 percent satisfaction reported in 2012.
Since the last study was taken, however, the city has added 521 spaces in the new public garage at the Water Street District. While 120 of them are reserved for guests of Hotel Indigo, that still leaves 401 spots open to the public, with electronic monitors displaying the number of spaces available at both the east and west entrances to the garage and on the city's website.
Louden said 15 city staff members are giving their after-hours time to conduct the study this weekend - if it's dry - or July 28 and 29 if it rains. The city has added a fifth location for in-person surveys to gather opinions from near the new Water Street garage, while the other four spots used in the past will remain in place north of the DuPage River.
Louden said staff members will compile and analyze the results and combine the information with a review of projected development in the downtown to assess future parking needs.
The city plans to bring parking study data to the downtown advisory commission for review in early 2018.