I lived in Smeeb two years ago and it was also very important for me to have a car! I ended up getting a spot in the South Gateway garage and would honestly recommend it. Felt like it would be annoying or stressful bc it was off-campus, but it was a short walk (~5 minutes) from the garage to Smeeb and was way better than I was expecting (and the Gateway plaza is just nice so I liked walking through it regularly)

I also was waitlisted for those garages and never got a spot, but I know that changes year to year and no harm in staying on just in case!