An additional 110 parking spaces in the Hixson-Lied parking lot were removed by Creighton University last Monday as construction on the CL Werner Center for Health Sciences Education continues.
For the remainder of the Spring 2022 semester, the Hixson-Lied parking lot will have 110 fewer parking spots and Burt Street will remain closed through the summer. Public Safety has attempted to compensate for the parking changes, but students and faculty are still grappling with where to find parking.
Many students arrived on campus after spring break and were surprised by the new parking changes. Throughout the 2021-22 academic year the diminished parking has led to questions about how parking at Creighton will change in the future.
Assistant Vice President of Public Safety Michael Reiner detailed the new changes and how Public Safety has tried to compensate for the lack of parking in the Hixson- Lied parking lot. He urged students to find alternative methods to travel to campus and encouraged them to park in lots farther from campus and either walk or shuttle the rest of the way. Many students and faculty utilize the Hixson-Lied lot, but with the removal of more parking spaces, they will be forced to use alternative lots.
“Parking has to move somewhere, and it’s moving to the perimeter,” Reiner said.
Creighton University has one parking lot at the corner of 30th and California streets that sits virtually empty throughout the day. Reiner urged students to utilize this lot and to continue the commute to campus on the west shuttle, which stops on 30th Street. A similar lot sits at the corner of Cuming and 21st streets and is on the Burt Street shuttle route. While utilizing the shuttle takes more planning it could be an effective method to overcome parking difficulties.
Creighton University also has perimeter parking across from Kenefick Hall at the corner of 19th and Davenport streets. Even though this parking lot is farther from central campus the subtle routes have been adjusted to pick up individuals utilizing this option. Permits are available to both faculty and students.
“I acknowledge that it’s a bit sketchy looking at night, but we are installing lights,” Reiner said.
UPDATED: In an email interview, Public Safety’s Tim Herron reminded students that they could take advantage of the free evening parking permit that allows students and staff to park on campus after 4 p.m. Students and faculty can pick up one of these permits at Parking Services in the Harper Center.
Students are also expressing their concerns. In an email interview, senior Matthew Blodgett emphasized how the lack of parking impacts his on-campus work schedule.
“I have worked as a desk receptionist at all the residence halls and not being able to find suitable parking has made me late on more than one occasion,” said Blodgett.
In another email interview, senior Alexandra McDermott suggested that Creighton only sell parking permits to upperclassmen. McDermott stressed that students who commute should have priority for better student parking.
“Since spots are limited, parking spots should be reserved for faculty and commuter students,” said McDermott. “Many spots taken by Freshmen and Sophomores are never available because they use spots as permanent parking.”
Public Safety has attempted to find new ways for students to commute to campus.
“The harsh reality is that the changes will continue and not go away,” said Herron. “As more buildings start to be built near central campus, everyone with valid parking permits will need to start looking towards the lots that are located at the perimeter of campus. There are enough parking spots for everyone who has a valid parking permit, it’s just not where everyone is used to parking.”
*This story contains updated paraphrasing from Tim Herron. Creightonian apologizes for the misattribution.*