The Lincoln Highway Garage, one of the newest additions to Valparaiso's effervescent downtown scene, officially opened its doors for public use on October 9. The parking garage houses 360 brand-new parking spots and welcomes vehicles for a visit during trips to the downtown area.
“It’s been a long time coming, and while there are a few finishing touches that will be taking place over the next couple of weeks, we didn’t want this to prevent people from using it and we wanted to open it up to the public,” said Valparaiso Director of Development George Douglas. “It feels great now that it’s finally open.”
After 15 months of construction, Douglas is beaming to announce that cars will now have more spaces to be safely secured just a short walk away from many beloved businesses throughout Valparaiso. The garage, according to Douglas, will share its 360 parking spaces with The Linc apartments currently in construction across the street. Of the 360 spots in the garage, 200 will be for Linc residents, with 121-127 spaces slated for 24/7 use for The Linc residents (the exact number will be determined by the final number of units at The Linc once construction is complete). The balance from 200 are “shared spots” open to the public during 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday and available for both public use and Linc residents. The remaining 160 spots are 24/7 public parking spots, excluding overnight parking (2 a.m. - 6 a.m.), which is for Linc residents only. Seven spaces are designed for electric vehicle charging, with one of them being an accessible EV charging spot.
Public parking is free for the first three hours. Drivers will need to purchase a permit from City Hall to use the garage for all-day parking, which follows Valpo’s guidelines for other surface parking lots in the city. Parking permits are sold at reduced, pro-rated rates as the year progresses.
The garage has made its home on the popular corner of Lincolnway and Morgan Boulevard, which left many wondering at first how exactly the garage would find its place among the older buildings currently occupying the area when the groundbreaking was announced. As construction on the garage progressed, however, it didn’t take long for its charm to settle in, allowing the community to see its true beauty. Made with an elegant brown brick structure and classy black fixtures, the garage is able to radiate Valpo’s historic charm while still adding modern flare into the mix, resulting in an attractive downtown landmark.
“A lot of people were very concerned right out of the gate when we said we're building a five deck parking garage. We understood those concerns would be out there, so the design of the garage had to fit into the downtown area in terms of how it functions and aesthetically,” Douglas said. “When construction started, some people took to social media opposed to a parking garage downtown. Most envisioned, I believe, a prototypical parking garage and didn’t understand it was designed with a brick façade canopies, complementary colors, glass, and openings. . Now that they see it finished, many people have said, ‘You know what? This looks really nice - this is the nicest garage I've ever seen.
The garage's neighbor, The Linc apartments, have also provided some perspective on how the garage is fitting into the evolving downtown. No longer is the garage a standalone structure overshadowing smaller buildings; it’s scale will be matched the surrounding apartments, offering a cohesive look to the west side of the street.
“Now that you see The Linc going up, you start to see there's some appropriate scale at the street level with the design of the garage,” Douglas said. “I think it is sitting there that really defines each end of the downtown area, and I think a lot of people have been pleasantly surprised with how well the garage looks and fits in with the downtown.”
Douglas is also aware that people are going to have questions and concerns with such a new structure in a prominent area of town. To help ease the tension, he and his team are doing everything they can to make using the garage a safe and easy experience for all and making sure updates are provided to the public timely. A web page with information about the Lincoln Highway Garage has been created at tinyurl.com/LHG-Valpo.
“That's going to be the next step for us - communicating it all out so the general public understands and feels welcome and safe in the garage,” Douglas said. “We're in the process of installing cameras in the garage, so those will be done soon. That’ll provide an extra layer of security for the public as well as the residents who use the garage.”
As the public begins to use the new garage, Douglas noted he is proud of the team - a team who will always go to great lengths to ensure commuters are in good hands at all times while traveling in Valpo.
“This will be our first garage in the city that we've owned and operated,” Douglas said. “We’re getting over the hump of all that, and we have a very competent staff and leadership. We do things the right way, so we're going to tackle this head on, and we look forward to any challenges ahead.”
To stay updated on the Lincoln Highway Garage, the Linc apartments, and other exciting developments within the City of Valparaiso, please visit ci.valparaiso.in.us.
