Arlington Heights still grappling with parking problems

For the second time in a month the Arlington Heights Village Board heard Monday that employee parking in the village’s downtown is a serious problem.

Employees who cannot afford a $30 monthly permit to park in a municipal garage instead park in business lots and on the streets in spaces that should be available for customers, said Amanda Brodbeck, manager of Starbucks, 33 S. Evergreen Ave.

Tracy Michelli, manager of Panera Bread, 31 S. Evergreen Ave., said the cost of the permits is too big a hardship for part-time employees who make $9 or $10 an hour.

Others who addressed the board complained about the parking tickets employees receive.

Business owners have urged the village to consider a program like one in Naperville which allows downtown employees and residents to purchase parking permits for $5 per year.

However, Naperville has a special service area downtown, which means city businesses and residents pay extra property taxes to subsidize programs like the $5 parking, said Arlington Heights Trustee John Scaletta.

Village Manager Bill Dixon said the Arlington Heights parking system pays most of its own expenses.

Scaletta, who is director of operations for Arlington Theatres in downtown, said he has been involved with parking issues for many years in volunteer positions and was on the downtown redevelopment master plan task force.

“If you were here in 2000 we had a lot more challenges than we do today,” he said. “Everything you said is still valid.”

Village staff is trying to come up with solutions, said Scaletta. For example, new downtown businesses that need to obtain special use permits before they can open are now required to purchase parking permits for their employees, he said.

Greg George of Randhurst Shoe Repair, 1 E. Campbell St., said not many employees purchase monthly passes, so the parking system would not lose much money by giving workers discounts.

The village hall parking garage and a nearby lot are free, but not until after noon. One concern is preventing commuters who use the nearby Metra station from parking there free.

“We’re pleading with you guys to figure something out for the employees in this town. It’s getting bad,” said Keith Kottke, owner of the Riviera Restaurant, 5 W. Campbell St.