By Jonathan Samples | Bugle Staff
nweditor@buglenewspapers.com
@DownersGrvBugle
The Downers Grove village council is expected to approve an ordinance prohibiting parking on a stretch of Warren Avenue, east of Linscott Avenue.
“This was brought up by [Mayflower Tours] as a concern about site distance caused by park cars on the south side of Warren Avenue, which currently has a 4-hour parking restriction,” Director of Public Works Nan Newlon said at the April 12 council meeting.
On March 9, the transportation and parking commission unanimously approved a proposal that would restrict parking between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the section of Warren 330 feet west of Saratoga Avenue to 30 feet west of Linscott Avenue.
Between six and seven parking spaces would be lost if the ordinance is approved as is by the village council.
“This recommendation was shared with the neighboring businesses, a couple who came to the TAP commission [meeting],” Newlon said. “There was some back and forth, and we did modify this restriction to still provide the site distance improvement and reduce the amount of parking that was lost because of this change.”
When requesting the ban, Mayflower Tours – located at 1225 Warren – cited safety concerns of drivers entering and exiting its driveways due to limited sight lines caused by on-street parking.
According to board documents, village staff observed “generally continuous use” of parking spaces near the business during several field visits to the area.
“The safety concerns and reported accidents at Mayflower Tours has sparked requests from the
owner to implement a time limit to allow for restrictions to on-street parking during business hours,” the document stated.
Village staff recommended approval of the ordinance, which will appear on the active agenda for the April 19 village council meeting.
Commissioners will also consider whether to modify a parking ban within the Springside Condominiums Complex.
Newlon said a Springside resident requested that parking restrictions be amended because the current parking ban has caused a lack of available visitor parking during daytime hours.
Currently, parking is prohibited at all times on one side of roads within the development and between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. along the other side.
Parking restrictions were put in place to prevent students who attend Downers Grove South High School, located east of Springside, from parking on streets.
The transportation and parking commission unanimously approved a recommendation from staff to amend the parking ban to the hours between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“This will provide greater parking for residents during the daytime, will still deter students [from parking] and will provide a window of opportunity for the police to patrol if there’s any problem with enforcement,” Newlon said.
She added that the village has placed similar restrictions in other areas near schools and found that it has been effective.