Alderman Tom Suffedin, 6th Ward, won backing Wednesday night from the city’s Transportation and Parking Committee for his plan to ease parking restrictions in the 2500 block of Hurd Avenue just south of Central Street.
Residents of the street for the past seven years have been the beneficiaries of parking restrictions proposed by a neighbor, former alderman Mark Tendam, which limited parking there to residents of the block.
Suffredin said no other street in the ward has such restrictive parking rules and that the limit poses hardships for customers of businesses on the adjoining block of Central Street as well as residents of adjoining streets.
But David Greising of 2523 Hurd, who’s the CEO of the Better Government Association, said the change wasn’t part of “an objective process” and argued that the city shouldn’t be reversing a change it made just seven years ago.
Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, said she might agree with Greising about making a change if it had only been two years since the rule went into effect. But, she said, parking needs change frequently around the city, and seven years is plenty of time for taking another look at a policy.
Under the plan approved the committee, parking on the 2500 block of Hurd would be available on a trial basis to anyone whose car is registered in Evanston.
The staff would conduct a review of the changes after six months and make recommendations for any further change to the committee.
A recent staff study of parking conditions on the block indicated that less than half of the spaces on the block are currently filled with cars.
The proposed change now goes to the City Council for final approval.
Related story