Chicago operators oppose permit parking proposal

Nation's Restaurant News, May 5, 1997 by Carolyn Walkup

Carolyn Walkup

CHICAGO - Restaurant and other business owners on two streets surrounded by residences in the desirable Lincoln Park neighborhood are fighting a proposal to ban nonresident parking on their blocks.

The proposal, introduced into the Chicago City Council by Alderman Charles Bernardini and passed by the Traffic Control and Safety Committee, would limit parking on two blocks of Halsted Street and one block of Lincoln Avenue between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to residents with permits on their cars. The matter could come up for a vote this month.

The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, headed by Jeffrey Lawler, managing partner of Geja's Restaurant, has organized a letter-writing campaign aimed at Mayor Richard Daley. About 30 letters opposing permit parking have been sent so far, Lawler said.

'Nobody wants this except for a vocal minority,' he said, noting that Bernardini lives on one of the blocks in question. Bernardini could not be reached for comment.

About 80 people, primarily small-business owners, testified against the proposal at a meeting of the Traffic Control and Safety Committee. Bernardini has said that permit parking in the three blocks would control noise and rowdiness from bar patrons and provide needed parking spaces for residents. Most residential streets in Lincoln Park already have permit parking.

Such a parking restriction 'would hurt Lincoln Park,' said Greg Lamacki, general manager of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! Although his restaurant, owned by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, parks 95 percent of customers' cars in rented city school lots, he some said smaller neighboring restaurant owners can't afford to pay the costs of valet parking.

Joe Carlucci, who recently closed his Carlucci Restaurant on Halsted Street but continues to own the building, said: 'The influence that the neighborhood groups have over politicians is becoming a little bit unnerving to me. I don't care for the political climate.

'The perception is that it's aggravating to go there, but in reality it's not true,' Said Carlucci, who noted that most restaurant customers use valet parking. 'If this continues, Halsted Street will be like Dodge City. It will be like sagebrush running through the middle of town.'

He blamed the parking Congestion on real-estate conversions of former single-family homes to condominiums and town homes, resulting in more cars than the neighborhood can handle.

Meanwhile, Mayor Daley has organized a task force charged with advising him about parking and traffic flow improvements throughout the city. Lincoln Park business owners are hoping the City Council will postpone voting on the permit parking proposal until after that task force holds community forums.