Wilmette Parking Garage

Parking lot on the agenda for Wilmette---an above-ground deck or more expensive underground parking? The village has hired a consultant for $38,000. Wilmette Life:

Many variables remain for Rich to figure out. Can the village, U.S. Postal Service and the Wilmette Public Library agree to share a bit more than an acre of parking lots between the library, at 1242 Wilmette Ave., and the Post Office, at 1215 Central Ave., where a garage could rise?

If not, can the village build a parking deck on a fraction of the land?

How much would it cost? The village wants to know by the spring, so that trustees can decide whether to include it in a planned bond issue.

How would various options look to Park Avenue residents and other neighbors? And would shoppers be likely to use the garage, and if so, how far would they walk to a store?

Preliminary plans will be presented by the consultant to the parking advisory panel headed by village trustee Alan Swanson, at 5 pm Feb. 26th.

It looks like the village is once again preparing to waive ordinances requiring so much parking per development in order to accommodate higher density uses. Of course residents must practically pledge their firstborn to get any kind of homeowner variance through the village board.

Meanwhile, as of press time, two incumbents had filed for village board, a third dropping out, two other candidates in the wings. The election is April 17th. Other local races predictably are not competitive.


Previous post: Condos and Consequences.

UPDATE: In other local news, Winnetka is enforcing its cellphone ban while driving as of today. No word on Wilmette's considered adoption of the Kyoto Protocols.