The underground parking garage under the library used to be a very nice place to park especially for people with disabilities, or parents with young children. I understand why it was closed during the pandemic. But I do not understand why it has not reopened to the general public.
I called 311 and the answer I got was that this is now reserved for city employees. This seems very unfair. We had a parking space that we used to use, but now this has been taken away from us.
Is there any way that the decision to close this garage to the public can be changed?
Tom Sheridan
I totally agree and you reminded me how irritating it has been to not have that garage. It has the elevator, and it’s there if we’re staying in the library during a snowstorm so we don’t need to clear off the car when we leave, and there are parking spaces there that gain no revenue! Thanks for reminding us of something obvious to which we should not become acclimated!
So easier access to parking main Library by tax paying residents has been relinquished to City employees -are we to assume Library workers? or other City staff ? Where did these City workers park before they were gifted Library underground parking? In the mirror there is another view: Some Council members state worry about charging for non-resident lakefront parking because that might not exude a hospitable vibe to non-taxpaying visitors. Are you and Library Board comfortable with the attitude you exhibit to EV residents by favoring comfort to employees paid to work for the community rather to than those who pay for the Library? Ceal Hanchar ceal_h@yahoo.com
The Evanston Public Library does not control the parking garage in the Library basement. Library staff maintain it and the Library’s budget lights and heats it. The Library Board has no to next to no say in how the City used the space.
Your assumption that it is used for city or library employees is incorrect. New City vehicles (vans and police cars) are staged there while being prepared to go into service.
Personally I’d love to see the garage returned for public use. It is a great amenity.
Best,
Ben
Yes, please reopen the basement parking lot to the public. I attend an evening group that meets monthly for nine months of the year (plus two additional lectures). While I always used the basement parking lot for convenience, on snowy or freezing wintry nights it was very important. It was especially so when I was recovering from surgery and using a walker; I would have been unable to attend two of the meetings (one on a stormy, rainy night) without the availability of the on-site parking.
Also, my visits to the main library are often just to pick up and check out an item, a process that takes less than five minutes. I’d appreciate being able to park at the library to do that, instead of tromping across the partly gravel lot northeast of the building, especially when there is not always a spot available there.
I was very interested to read, in another comment that, from the earliest planning stages of the library, the underground lot was always intended as a parking area for library patrons!
Please make it available once again to the community that loves and appreciates and uses our library.
I agree with Mr. Sheridan that the EPL underground parking lot should be open to all. It is especially helpful for seniors and families with young children. When I asked the library about its availability, I was told that the City took it over to use for storage during the pandemic and never gave it back. Elizabeth Kinney
In the fall I was told that the library garage is now used for city storage. For years members of the public were able to rely on the space for easy access to the library, particularly important in the winter and in bad weather – one of the great design features included in the library construction plans. It was an enormous help when I took my children on library excursions a few times a month. Space for city employees’ use (or storage?) can be found in other downtown garages. I would like to see this parking garage returned to the public domain.
I have been wondering the same thing. It is disappointing that a very convenient parking location under the library is now set aside for city employees. There are a number of other garages in the area that can designate space for that. This location at the library should be reserved for patrons.
I typically browse online and then set a hold to pick up at the Robert Crown branch. But I miss the serendipitous finds I often made wandering around the bigger library.
Agreed. We speficially stay away from the downtown library due to lack of easy parking. Since the north branch closed where we could walk, now we drive and it’s much easier to go to Wilmette instead.