UPDATE: The final Depot District Parking Management Plan is now available (low res 3 MB, high res 133 MB).

The City of Berwyn is known for its diverse and mature community, its rich housing stock, and its proximity to downtown Chicago. Berwyn residents enjoy their connectivity to the region through I-55, I-294, and three commuter rail stations along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Metra rail line. Access to transit, health institutions, and a mix of shops, housing and restaurants makes the downtown "Depot District" a center of attraction. Since the October 2012 adoption of its Berwyn Comprehensive Plan, the City has undertaken initiatives to revitalize commercial centers, install bike signage to promote safe biking, and revise its zoning ordinance. Now, the City is working toward another major comprehensive plan recommendation to create innovative parking strategies.

To continue to enhance and improve Berwyn's Depot District, CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program is working with the City and the Berwyn Development Corporation (BDC) to develop parking management strategies to improve the livability and design of the area. As highlighted by the CMAP report "Parking Strategies to Support Livable Communities," parking impacts traffic congestion, as well as the environmental and financial health of the region. The parking management review will focus on managing parking to best support Berwyn's business community while balancing the parking needs of visitors, shoppers, and commuters. Once complete, the review will recommend policies to help the City and its residents address identified parking problems. The review will cover a range of topics including but not limited to traffic congestion, costs, parking availability, and alternative transportation. It will identify and build upon the community's assets and identify ways to support goals from the 2012 Berwyn Comprehensive Plan, as well as the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan.

The planning process will include three phases. The first phase will involve a thorough analysis of the existing conditions within the community using information gathered through steering committee meetings, one-on-one stakeholder interviews, review of previous studies, and collection of maps and data. Phase two will focus on creating strategies for Berwyn's parking management review based on findings from the phase one analysis and public engagement. The final phase will combine efforts from previous phases to create the parking management review document containing policies, programs, and action steps intended to help the community achieve the future vision.

On May 27, 2104, City staff presented the purpose of the project, the proposed planning process and estimated timeline to the City Board members at a Committee of the Whole meeting. On August 2nd, 2014, an interactive workshop was held in the community room at the Berwyn Police Department. The open house was designed to solicit information on the strengths, opportunities, and challenges of the City's transportation system via different stations set up around the room.

An online survey was distributed to ask residents, employees, and business owners about their parking priorities and challenges. Not enough parking, inefficient use of existing parking spaces, and commuter parking management were identified as the biggest challenges among survey participants, while employers parking in spaces intended for customers and inefficient residential permit system were noted less frequently. About 14 respondents said that Berwyn does not have any parking challenges.

Lindsay Bayley, CMAP Senior Planner (lbayley@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8826)

Ricardo Lopez, CMAP Senior Planner (rlopez@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8766)