THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008
New 'Parking Spot' Soon Near O'Hare?
A relatively new concept in parking for people needing to get in and out of O'Hare Airport fast and with a minimum amount of hassle has been proposed for location in the Village of Rosemont.
The proposal is part of a plan spearheaded by Duke Realty Corp. that calls for construction of two more hotels in the village, a large office center and a four-story, 1,900-space parking garage. The development would be located on 10.6 acres west of the Tri-State Tollway on the north side of Balmoral Avenue. A few hundred feet to the west lies O'Hare. Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens said last week that the possibility exists to eventually build a waterpark on the acreage.
Members of the Rosemont Zoning Board of Appeals are scheduled to consider the proposal at a meeting in Village Hall on Monday, June 2 at 3 p.m.
Proposed is to subdivide the 10.6 acres into two lots of nearly equal size. The 1,900 space parking deck would be located on the south five acres of the property and require a village-issued Special Use permit. Located in the garage would be a new to the area airport parking service called The Parking Spot. Now operating in 19 locations near airports throughout the country, The Parking Spot offers shuttles to the airport every 5 to 7 minutes. Valet parking is available and greeters suggest where to park, which minimizes the need for drivers to search for, stalls. Shuttle drivers are available to assist people with their luggage. Customers are driven to the front door of the airport terminal avoiding long walks through airport parking decks and remote lots. When customers return, they are picked up at the airport front door and returned to their car.
The daily cost would be around $20. The Parking Spot was founded in 1997 and is backed by Penny Pritzker, a member of the wealthy Chicago family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain.