HIGHLIGHTS Chamber's unofficial notes from Oak Partk's Jan. 29 Transportation Commission Meeting

CHAMBER NOTES FROM GOVT/GOVT-RELATED MEETING

Meeting Name: Transportation Commission, Village of Oak Park

Meeting Date: Mon., Jan. 29 @7pm

Meeting Location: Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School

Type of Meeting: VOP Commission

Led by: Chair Jack Chalabian

Liaison(s): VOP Parking and Mobility Services Manager John Youkhana

Chamber of Commerce Representative in Attendance: Cathy Yen, Executive Director

Caveat: This document reflects the Chamber representative's own personal notes and highlights of the meeting.  Official meeting minutes of this Public Meeting will be available for review of the VOP website once they are approved by the Commission.

Chamber’s notes from the meeting:

• Consultant, staff and commission working to simplify parking rules and bring consistency across the Village

• Current proposal is to run a “pilot” to test new rules and collect data.  Pilot could run six months, if approved by Village Board of Trustees.

• Pilot area limited to the streets and lots between Harlem, South Blvd, Oak Park Ave and Harrison (both sides of the street on Oak Park Ave and South Blvd)

• Lots of issues with overnight parking and parking passes.  As a Chamber, we focused on the changes that could impact metered parking.

• Proposed parking pilot could include the following changes to meters:  (1) change metered times from 8am - 6pm to *am - 8pm (2) change three hour limits on meters to three hours at standard $1 an hour rate, but implement graduated rates for 4th, 5th, 6th hour, etc.  Actual rate amount not discussed.

• Allow for cars with overnight parking passes to park in unused metered spots from 8pm - 8am.

• Chamber Exec Director made public comment requesting that any pilot program no bifurcate business district (for example, the proposal calls for the pilot to run in the south half of Hemingway but not the north half, thereby affecting some restaurants but not others) and requested that significant outreach be conducted, especially within the businesses themselves so that patrons are not caught off-guard when meter times extend to 8pm

• Process:  Transportation Commission will meet again on Feb 12 and then as needed to deliberate on what they heard and make recommendation to the Village Board.  No pilot or changes can be enacted without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

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