Downtown Evanston shoppers may get five extra minutes before a parking ticket hits their windshield after the city's Economic Development Committee directed staff Thursday, June 25, to explore the change. A separate proposal discussed at the same meeting would convert one to two metered spaces per commercial block into free 15-minute "Quick-Stop Zones" for pickups and short errands.

No formal vote was taken. Deputy City Manager Carina Sánchez was directed to report back at the committee's July meeting on whether the five-minute grace period can be programmed into the ParkEvanston app. A specific date has not been posted.

The reforms grew out of a survey of 155 local business owners compiled by Paul Zalmezak, the city's economic development manager. His memo to the committee was direct. "The overarching consensus is that the current parking system acts as a competitive disadvantage for local businesses," Zalmezak wrote.

Surveyed owners said customers are choosing Wilmette, Skokie, and Westfield Old Orchard over Evanston because those communities offer free, hassle-free parking. The survey also identified a "dwell time mismatch." Quick-service restaurants and retailers need high turnover in 15-to-30-minute windows, while salons and dine-in restaurants need more than two hours. The current blanket two-hour limit serves neither well.

Drew Beckman, owner of Heroines & Heroes comic book and gaming store at 2026 Central St. and a committee member, voiced support for the grace period. He described watching an enforcement officer linger near an expiring meter: "To watch a guy stand around for a couple of minutes with his pad out, taking pictures, getting ready to write the ticket … even if it's once every week, it burns an impression in people's minds."

Sánchez noted the enforcement system is now largely automated, with vehicles reading license plates. She confirmed the city sets no ticket quotas.

Councilmember Bobby Burns (5th Ward) urged that any grace-period standard be built into the system rather than left to individual officers' discretion. Councilmember Matt Rodgers (8th Ward) raised a practical question: "What happens in six minutes?"

Rodgers supported extending the current two-hour meter limit to three hours for evening visitors. He and Councilmember Clare Kelly (1st Ward) both rejected a "dynamic pricing" proposal floated by Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th Ward), with Rodgers saying unpredictable costs would turn people away.

Other ideas on the table include a "first hour free" pilot using merchant validation and an employee parking program modeled on Winnetka's system for business-district workers. Currently, expired-meter tickets in Evanston cost $25, and meters run from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Sánchez was directed to return with a grace-period update at the committee's July meeting.