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Click here to view a summary version of the 2019 Parking Study, which includes recommendations and important maps!  

Click here to view the full 2019 Parking Study, including all appendices and datasets! 

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In December 2018, the Village of Homewood commissioned Konig, Lindgren, O'Hara and Albonna Inc. (KLOA) to perform a parking study of the northern area of downtown Homewood. This study was designed to assess the impact on parking for several key developments:

• Restaurant @ 18225 Dixie Highway (complete, Homewood Brewing Company)
• Restaurant @ 18136 Dixie Highway (approved, proposed as Tequila Raizes Restaurant)
• Residential development on Village Hall Parking Lot site (2024 Chestnut Road)
• Renovation and expansion of the Homewood Auditorium 

This study provided recommendations for replacing the parking currently located in the Village Hall parking lot and increasing overall parking availability in the Downtown. Click here to download a summary of the recommendations from the study.

What did the study say about parking and traffic?

The parking study had two goals: measure current and future parking needs, and provide recommendations for replacing and expanding parking to meet those needs. The study looked at six public parking lots, twelve private parking lots, and street parking (1,523 spaces!) to determine current demand for parking and ways to improve parking in downtown Homewood as new development continues.

 The study looked at parking needs for the following times:

• Weekdays (court and non-court days) 
• Weekends (event and non-event days) - events included Homewood's Fall Fest and Village Hall events

The study said the following about current and future parking needs in Downtown Homewood: 

• No more than 54% of spaces in all off-street parking lots were used at any time. Event days typically used around 35-40% of spaces. This is because many spaces are located in lots which are only allowed for specific businesses or buildings. 
• No more than 59% of spaces in public parking lots were used at any time (except for one day with a Farmers Market and Fall Fest overlapping, where 81% of public spaces were used). 
• No more than 47% of on-street spaces were used at any time. Peak demand for street spaces was found on Saturday mornings/afternoons during Farmer's Markets.
• There is a lot of demand for spaces (on-street and in parking lots) in a small area between Ridge Road and Hickory Road, and between Harwood Avenue and Dixie Highway. However, usage is much lower outside of this area, including in the Village Hall parking lot. 

The study also included a traffic analysis of Downtown Homewood. The study said the following about current and future traffic concerns:

• Most streets Downtown have a high "level of service," meaning they flow well with minimal congestion or safety concerns. This is expected to continue with the new developments proposed in the Downtown.
• The study recommended addressing two areas: the Ridge Road/Dixie Highway intersection (which has poor "level of service" during afternoon peak hours between 5-7pm), and Elm Road near the Public Library (which has poor visibility and intersection geometry, especially for vehicles turning onto Dixie from Elm). 
• New development is unlikely to cause any new "level of service" concerns in areas where none currently exist, but may exacerbate issues at areas where "level of service" is already low. The study provided recommendations for improving traffic flow and increasing traffic capacity around new development. 

The study found that with the two new restaurants, residential development and new auditorium, there is already sufficient public or private parking available to handle all projected demand at all times except Saturday event days where a large event is occurring at the new auditorium. The study recommended adding 167-207 spaces to ensure that enough new parking is available for future visitors downtown, even during the largest events.

The study provided recommendations for the Village to both address this shortage at maximum peak times, and to ensure that all future parking needs (such as new restaurants, commercial spaces in new development, etc.) can be handled effectively. These recommendations have guided Village downtown planning for nearly six years, leading the acquisition of several new parking lots, street improvements and new parking agreements. 

What were the recommendations? 

The parking study provided the following recommendations. The Village has completed or plans to complete most of the following recommendations:

1. Increase visibility/usage of street parking outside of main core of Downtown - the Village continues to work on ways to improve signage and maps to show where street parking spaces are located and often available. The Village is also adding striped spaces on Hickory Road and other streets.
2. Lease or acquire the Harwood Avenue Lot for non-commuter use - the Village acquired the lot in 2022. This lot is now available for free public parking on weeknights, weekdays, event days and holidays, which are the peak times for parking in Homewood. 
3. Lease the St. John Neumann parking lot for public use - the Village plans to continue a shared parking agreement with St. John Neumann Church to allow for additional public parking.
4. Building a parking deck at the Harwood Lot - This project would face significant challenges due to project costs ($6-9 million minimum) and proximity to the Canadian National railroad. Staff continues to assess potential opportunities for a future parking deck.
5. Add street parking on Harwood Avenue - the Village is in the final stages of acquiring Harwood Avenue from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Village plans to convert Harwood to one-way traffic to add up to 20-25 angle parking spaces for public use. 
6. Convert Elm Road and Chestnut Road to One-Ways - Converting Elm and Chestnut Road to one-ways in a "counter-clockwise" direction would eliminate traffic concerns on Elm Road, increase traffic capacity for a new residential development, and add up to 19 angle parking spaces for public use.
7. Increase number of parking agreements - the Village continues to look for new opportunities for parking agreements to unlock additional parking in the downtown.

What is the Village doing now? 

The Village has taken or is taking the following steps to increase public parking in the Downtown area since the parking study was published. Following many of the recommendations from the parking study, the Village will add 229 parking spaces, creating a net gain of +112 spaces if the Village Hall lot's 117 public spaces are removed.

The Village is also pursuing an additional 63 spaces with three additional agreements for shared public parking:

• Abundant Grace UCC (+40 spaces) - in progress
• 18106-18124 Martin Avenue (+10 spaces) - in progress
• La Banque Hotel (exclusive use for Village Hall employees - +13 spaces) - in progress

With all parking improvements completed, the Village will add 292 spaces, with a net gain of +175 spaces if the Village Hall lot's spaces are removed. These decisions were made to ensure the Village adds sufficient parking spaces to meet the recommendations of the parking study. The Village continues to carefully pursue new opportunities for parking in the downtown.