Huntley buying downtown property to add parking

Huntley officials are buying land in the village’s downtown to add parking.

The village board on Thursday approved the purchase of 11810 Coral St., next door to the D.C. Cobb’s restaurant that opened in fall 2023. The property is slightly more than a quarter-acre and contains a house and paved parking lot, according to Huntley documents.

The board passed the $310,000 acquisition without discussion. Village documents indicate that the dollars are coming from the Downtown TIF Fund.

Later Thursday, when the village board discussion turned to a draft transportation plan, officials said there are 650 parking spaces downtown. Parking can be found in public and private lots along Main, Coral, Dwyer, Woodstock, First and Church streets, according to the draft plan.

According to the Huntley Land Use Plan, new parking should be within close walking distance of future gathering places.

Parking spaces are not as close to places as some people would like, “but there are numerous parking spaces throughout the downtown,” Deputy Village Manager Lisa Armour said.

Proposed recommendations in the plan in regard to parking include: conducting a “comprehensive” downtown parking study; screening lots with landscaping; putting lots behind buildings or requiring people to access them from side streets; and encouraging people to bike downtown by promoting the bicycle routes and pathways that link downtown with other surrounding neighborhoods.

Parking also came up at Tuesday’s State of Huntley address, where officials touted their $5 million investment in downtown parking.

Village Manager Dave Johnson said people ask why Huntley doesn’t build a parking garage, but added that would cost $50,000 a spot compared with the $9,000 to $10,000 per spot for surface parking.