Creighton University has opened 45 additional student parking stalls for the remainder of the semester, according to an email this week from the Student Leadership & Involvement Center. The spots, located under the I-480 overpass at 20th and Cass Streets, are available to surface-permit holders on a first-come, first-serve basis Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December.
The added stalls come after frustration over overcrowded surface lots, especially during the mid-morning and early-afternoon hours when many commuters arrive for classes.
Jessica Weaver, Creighton’s parking technical specialist, said the university gathered complaints from “students, staff, employees … from social media, direct complaints made to our office, whatever it is,” and presented them to senior leadership in search of a solution.
“We take those all seriously,” Weaver said. “One [issue] was obviously students needing to get to class …The middle of the day is the worst time, between like 9 and 2.”
Because most campus property is already used or under construction, Weaver said senior leadership began exploring lots not owned by Creighton. The new stalls are part of a partnership with a state-owned lot managed by an outside company.
“We reached out and said, ‘How can we partner? How can we fill your empty spaces and help with our overflow of particularly students?’” Weaver said.
After negotiations, the university secured 45 stalls for the rest of the calendar year, with hopes of expanding the lease in the spring.
Weaver said the university is already discussing how to extend and possibly increase the number of spaces next semester, depending on how well students use the area.
“As long as our Creighton students are acting like Creighton students and not doing anything crazy … and it becomes a successful partnership, they’re going to continue letting us use it,” she said. “We’re hoping for more stalls.”
The lot is shared with Central High School students who also lease parking there. Signage has been updated to clarify which numbered stalls belong to Creighton. Students may park in any of the labeled stalls; no additional permit or pass is required beyond a standard surface permit.
Weaver emphasized that the extension is intended to relieve some of the pressure on commuters who often struggle to find a spot during peak hours.
“It’ll just be an overflow space that gives that little bit of comfort to those who are coming at 10, 11 … to be able to actually find a spot and not have to walk 30 minutes from the other side of campus,” she said. “The goal is this is supposed to be something that helps, not add[s] more stress.”
Some students, however, say the solution falls short.
Emily Fitzgerald, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the shortage began early in the semester when many students “were requesting people to stay home … because they accepted too many people.”
She said the new stalls are helpful but insufficient.
“The ideas that they’ve had are trying to fix it,” Fitzgerald said, “But the way that they executed afterwards … there’s hundreds of students who drive. What is the 45 more spots really going to do in the next three weeks?”
Fitzgerald also noted the importance of protecting Central High School students’ access to their leased spaces.
“We don’t want to put them at risk for having to get here at super early hours because they’re afraid college students are going to take their spots,” she said.
For now, the university says the temporary expansion is meant to stabilize parking until construction projects progress and longer-term plans can move forward.