Des Plaines considers new downtown parking garage

Des Plaines city officials are considering building a new parking garage in downtown to replace the aging structure on Lee Street currently used by city employees and the public.

The structure has deteriorated over time and does not have enough spaces for city vehicles, employee vehicles and visitors to the Civic Center, officials said.

The Des Plaines city council Monday night unanimously authorized spending $50,000 to hire Walker Parking Consultants of Elgin, one of eight consulting firms that submitted proposals, to develop a conceptual design for a new parking deck.

The firm will evaluate potential parking alternatives to accommodate city vehicles, provide a secure parking area for police vehicles and equipment, and provide spaces for city employees and customers.

The idea is to build a parking garage with roughly 260 spaces that may extend to encompass an adjacent site and existing surface parking lots between Lee and Jefferson streets behind City Hall.

Ward 6 Alderman Mark Walsten assured residents the new parking garage would not adversely impact the nearby The Choo Choo restaurant in any way. Residents have long feared the city’s plans for downtown would uproot the 50s-era diner, which prompted a campaign to save it years ago.

“We’re not talking about The Choo Choo going anywhere,” Walsten stressed Monday.

Walsten said the city should look ahead to ensure any parking structure built today meets downtown’s future needs.

“We should try to figure out what it’s going to be used for in 10, 15 years,” he said. “My main concern is to make sure we have options.”

City Engineering and Public Works Director Tim Oakley said the purpose of the conceptual design is to determine the city’s parking needs, as well as the needs of the area.