EVANSTON, IL - The City of Evanston is making changes to improve the parking experience in downtown Evanston and surrounding business districts in response to recommendations and concerns from residents and business owners.

On April 10, the City hosted a Merchant Summit to hear directly from business owners regarding recent updates to parking in Evanston, including new pay-by-license-plate pay stations installed in the downtown area and changes to parking fees citywide. The City will be implementing some of the recommendations offered at the summit and will be providing an update on parking to the Evanston City Council at its meeting on April 29.

Parking updates currently being implemented or explored by the City in response to the community's input include:

• Allowing multiple parking sessions per day in the same parking zone. The City has reduced the “lockout” period in between parking sessions imposed by the Park Evanston mobile app and pay-by-license-plate pay stations to 30 minutes from several hours, providing community members with the flexibility to pay for street parking in the same location multiple times a day.
• Addressing the Park Evanston mobile app’s 35-cent transaction fee. The Park Evanston mobile app is currently provided free to the City; however, the vendor receives payment for its service by charging app users a 35-cent convenience fee for each transaction. The City is reaching out to the app vendor to explore alternative ways to pay for this service.
• Extending the standard two-hour time limit for street and lot parking. At its March meeting, the City’s Parking & Transportation Committee recommended adjusting the standard two-hour maximum parking time limit, as parking needs vary by business district. On April 29, the City Council will consider extending the maximum time limits for parking.

In addition to discussing the above recommendations, City staff will provide an update at the April 29 City Council meeting regarding the parking changes implemented by the City this year. Staff's report will include how community members have been utilizing the City's new parking systems and how drivers have been taking advantage of incentive programs offered by the City, including waiving the app’s convenience fee for those who pay for the maximum amount of parking time allowed, and offering $5 in free parking credit for those who load $20 onto their Park Evanston mobile wallet.

Community members who would like to learn how to use the City's new parking pay stations are encouraged to watch the City's step-by-step video, which provides a brief tutorial.

The City of Evanston greatly values the input provided by residents, business owners and visitors regarding parking in Evanston, and strives to continually improve the experience for all who live, work and shop in Evanston.

For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.