Des Plaines considers new downtown parking garage

Des Plaines considers new downtown parking garage Des Plaines city officials are planning on building a whole new parking garage in downtown to replace the aging structure on Lee Street presently used by city employees and the public. Ward 6 Alderman Mark Walsten assured residents the new parking garage would not adversely impact the nearby The Choo Choo restaurant in any way. Walsten said the city should look ahead to ensure any parking structure built today meets downtown"s future needs. 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 requirements of the area. 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 brand new parking deck. "We"re not talking about The Choo Choo going anywhere," Walsten stressed Monday. 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. "We should try to figure out what it"s going to be used for in 10, 15 years," he said. The company will evaluate potential parking alternatives to accommodate city vehicles, provide a secure parking area for police vehicles and equipment, and offer spaces for city employees and clients. Custom reprints are a powerful and strategic way to share your article with customers, employees and prospects. Des Plaines considers new downtown parking garage Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 04/04/2012