Community Feedback: New Village Parking Lots For North Avenue Businesses

The Elmwood Park Advocate reported earlier this week that the Elmwood Park Plan, Zoning, and Development (PZD) Commission approved special use permits that will allow the village government to demolish several homes that were purchased. Three parking lots will be built in their place.

In particular, residents who live within a block of the property at 1612 North 77th Avenue that was purchased by the village for $470,000 were troubled. It is nearby the Tiny Tap and Armand’s Pizzeria.

Several residents voiced their concerns during proceedings, and then the following day they met with village officials, including Village Manager Paul Volpe, in front of the property. For now, officials are open to landscaping the area to minimize disruptions to the character of the block that will occur as a result of this new parking lot.

Also, since publication, the Advocate obtained a copy of the audio recording of the PZD Commission meeting through the village clerk. The recording was added to the bottom of our original report. Commission meetings are not typically posted for residents, like village board meetings, so this brings some rare transparency.

Let’s get to community feedback that we received.

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From Katie:

Your appreciation means a lot to us. This is exactly why the Elmwood Park Advocate was founded—to improve residents access to information about the village. We also agree with you that a “master plan” should be more readily available, even if it is from more than a decade ago.

From Bernie:

Bernie’s enthusiasm for the new parking lots for North Avenue businesses was supported by quite a few people. He did not negate any of the reporting shared by the Elmwood Park Advocate but embraced what we covered as an example of the village rightfully serving commercial interests.

From Don

Another statement of support for the PZD commission and other village officials came from Don. He pointed out that the village is not adding meters to the parking lots, which is true. But we will note that neither the village manager nor the commissioners presented anything concrete related to how this will ensure the area becomes “more vibrant.”

Al also replied to Don:

Based on firsthand experiecne, Al made a point about the area that we had not fully considered when compiling our report.

From Kelsey

Both Kelsey and Katie (not the same Katie who praised us) raised valid questions. Why shouldn’t the business or property owners foot the bill for these parking lots? What is the monetary benefit to taxpaying residents?

It was clearly asked during the commission meeting. Neither the village manager nor any commissioner said anything meaningful in response to this question.

From Mari and Sharon

We think these are both understandable gripes. All Elmwood Park residents should be able to access all of the village streets that are maintained by our tax dollars.

From Michael

Haha, indeed. Who else read our report and wondered how they could cash in?

Perhaps, Bernie was not entirely correct. Blocks of residents might be inclined to help the village make room for development and commercial zones—for the right price.