HIGHLIGHTS: March 14 Oak Park Business Association Council Meeting

CHAMBER NOTES FROM GOVT/GOVT-RELATED MEETING

Meeting Name:  Business Association Council forum

Meeting Date: Wed., Mar. 14 @8:00am

Meeting Location: Village Hall, Conference Room 102

Type of Meeting: Monthly open-format gathering of business association leaders

Led by: Paul Zimmermann

Liaison(s): VOP Director of Development Customer Services Tammie Grossman

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

Caveat: This document reflects the Chamber representative's own personal notes and highlights of business-related topics discussed at the meeting.  Questions pertaining to content or issues discussed should be directed to the relevant business association representative

Attending:  Paul Zimmermann, Cindy Summers (DTOP), Shanon Williams (DTOP), Mike Fox (DTOP), Anne Pezalla (Hemingway), Jim Cozzins (Hemingway), Mark Finger (OPAD), Dennis Murphy (Pleasant), Philip Jimenez (Pleasant), Kevin Kline (Pleasant), Heidi Ruehle-May (Pleasant), Dan Finnegan (North Ave), Jason Alfonsi (Lake-Austin), Mark Campbell (Chicago-Harlem), Fran Dover (Southtown), Kathleen Collins (Southtown), Bob Collins (Southtown), Vik Schrader (OPEDC), Judith Alexander (TNAD), Tammie Grossman (VOP), Christina Waters (VOP)

Chamber’s notes from the Public meeting:

• What would have been a regular BAC meeting was rescheduled to accommodate spring break scheduling as Development Customers Services wanted an opportunity to present the current Parking Pilot Program recommendations to the business community

• VOP updates on Parking

  • Timeline:

    • Village Staff, Dixon Consulting and Transportation Commission have been working on “parking issues” at the direction of the Village Board for over a year.  

    • February 26, 2018: Transportation Commission gives direction to staff and consultants on the recommendations they want to present for Public Hearing

    • April 23, 2018: Public Meeting to present recommendations (public comment welcome)

    • Study Session for Village Board would be scheduled as soon as possible to review Transportation Commission recommendations (public comment welcome)

    • Any approved recommendations would require ordinances approved by the Board (public comment welcome)

    • If adopted, the program would likely start either in August or October.  October is more likely given the legislative, technology and public works scheduling that would have to occur

    • Pilot Program would run for a minimum of six months but could be renewed for an additional six months before the Board reviews data in consideration of Village-wide changes

  • Scope

    • Staff and Consultants are recommending a “pilot program” through which to test changes to on-street and off-street free, permitted, restricted and metered parking rules.

    • The Pilot Program as recommended covers the streets and parking lots in Oak park bounded by Harlem and Oak Park Avenue and South Bvld and Harrison.

  • Business-Related Recommendations

    • Parking would not be free along Madison in the Pilot Area.  Pay by Plate pay stations would be installed all along Madison in the Pilot area.

    • All meters or Pay-by-Plate stations in the Pilot area would be set for 8am - 8pm for Mon - Sat.  Free on Sunday.

    • Overnight permit holders would now be allowed to park in available metered / pay-by-plate spaces after 8pm.

    • Meters/pay-by-plate would be set at current rates ($1 / an hour) for the first three hours but allow for graduated rates past three hours, at a new and higher rate to be determined for the fourth hour, fifth hour, etc.

    • On-street parking (which impacts customers as well as employees) that currently has daytime restrictions (for example, no parking 8am - 10am, or parking limited to two hours or three hours) will be changed to three hour parking.

    • On-street parking currently without daytime restrictions will remain without restrictions.

  • Feedback Mechanisms:

    • Contact Development Customer Services Department directly

    • Leave feedback on the Village Website at https://www.oak-park.us/village-services/parking/parking-pilot-program

    • Attend BAC follow-up meeting on April 18

    • Provide feedback through form on BAC website

    • Attend and provide public comment at April 23 Public meeting (location TBD - check Village’s website for more information) or at the next Transportation Commission meeting

    • Chamber to create survey on parking and these key issues

  • Other

    • Employee Discount Parking is available in the Village-owned garages: Holley Court and the Avenue Garage.

    • Village Staff is interested in feedback on how to improve the program.

• Other VOP Updates

  • Lake Street construction plans still in the works; no firm timeline yet

• Business dialogue:

  • Chamber to prepare survey on parking issues in order to collect additional information and feedback

  • OPEDC moving forward with civic-wide branding study (check their website for details)

  • Ran out of time for district updates

• Next meeting to continue Parking discussion: Wednesday, April 18 at 8am

• Next regular BAC meeting:  Wednesday, April 25 at 8am (business segment topic: Sustainability issues, including drinking straws )

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