Parking at premium as Libertyville deck work begins
Downtown Libertyville merchants were spared when construction of a parking deck in their backyard was delayed until after the holiday shopping season.
But the inevitable is in sight.
On Jan. 5, already-tight parking downtown will be disrupted as crews begin fencing off their turf at the southeast corner of Brainerd Avenue and Lake Street.
Protective sheeting will be installed around the perimeter to prevent cave ins, and by February, excavators will begin digging the basement for an $8.6 million, three-tier, 364-space deck.
"They're trying to make sure the construction doesn't cause any undue hardship. The bad news is we have construction going on," said John Heinz, village engineer.
"It's certainly going to be a change, no question about that."
A parking deck on the west side of Milwaukee Avenue, the downtown area's commercial strip, has been envisioned for years.
Originally, the work was to have begun this summer. But bids came in higher than expected and concerns about the timeline prompted the board to delay the project and seek new bids.
When complete in mid-August, the deck will result in a net gain of about 200 parking spaces. Until then, surface lot spaces consumed as the deck is being built will be shifted elsewhere.
The village has identified three locations in the area to make up that difference.
The largest is a commuter lot north of Newberry Avenue. Those who use the daily fee lot have been told to use Metra's Prairie Crossing station to make way for public parking, a move that could become permanent.
While contingency lots are only a few hundred feet from the center of activity, consumer habits are hard to change.
Police have no means of differentiating an employee vehicle from that of a customer and keeping close spaces open is in business owners' best interest.
"In this economy and in this time, customers are precious," said M.J. Seiler, co-owner of a realty firm and a member of the village's parking commission.
Not getting employees to park where they're supposed to would be akin to "nailing our own coffin shut," he added.
Business owners also are being reminded that the village has provisions for valet service.