New parking meters and residential permit parking ordinances were added all around the West Loop area after being approved last month by the City of Chicago.
The meters come with an increased fee of $4.50 per hour as opposed to the original $2 hourly charge. The meter hours run from 8 a.m. to midnight every Monday through Sunday, and residential permit parking is in effect from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The new parking ordinances were influenced by a West Central Association Metropolitan Planning Council study from 2016. It was commissioned as a way to provide both a land use and parking study across the West Central service area. Together with the Metropolitan Planning Council, the study was presented in a community meeting in November 2016.
The study concluded that 84 percent of West Loop parking was free of charge or unrestricted. Casual drivers parking in regular customer spots were proving to be bothersome for local businesses.
The residential parking ordinances were then proposed in a separate community meeting in June 2017.
The West Central Association proclaimed its excitement toward the new parking rules in a news bulletin on its website. The chamber of commerce believes the new rules will bring many benefits to West Loop business owners and residents, including improved turnover, curb management and availability for parking spaces in business districts.
“The changes to parking policy in the West Loop are driven by the mixed-use and evolving nature of the neighborhood," West Central Association President Armando Chacon was quoted on the WCA website. "As such, parking policy should be fluid and subject to change when necessary. We would like to thank the greater West Loop community for your feedback and engagement on this matter. We also want to thank Alderman Burnett, Alderman Ervin, Alderman Sigcho-Lopez, and other city department officials for their support and willingness to enact sensible parking policy in the West Loop.”
The ordinances will primarily impact businesses on or near Halsted Street, Madison Street, Randolph Street and the Fulton Market District.
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