Elmwood Park Commission Rubber-Stamps New Parking Lots Over Resident Concerns
The Elmwood Park Plan, Zoning, and Development (PZD) Commission backed the demolition of four houses and the construction of three parking lots in their place. Each home was purchased by the village during the past year.
At 6 p.m. on July 21, the commission conducted four rapid-fire public hearings in the Village Chambers. Commissioners voted at the end of proceedings to send recommendations for rezoning and special use permits to the Village Board of Trustees.
Now, Jonathan Zivojnovic, a village trustee who is the liaison to the PZD Commission, will file the special use applications at the next village board meeting on August 7. The board will then hold a final vote.
Two of the parking lots will be built along the alley behind restaurants and businesses on North Avenue: one at 1612 North 77th Avenue (“1612”) nearby the Tiny Tap and Armand’s Pizzeria, and the other at 1614 North 73rd Avenue (“1614”) nearby Donny G’s Ristorante.
The total expenses for building the two lots may exceed $1 million. The village spent around $470,000 to purchase the 1612 property and around $350,000 to purchase the 1614 property. Demolition, design, and construction costs could range anywhere from $25,000 to $45,000 for each lot.
With the two lots, that will bring the number of public parking lots in the area to 14.
Residents and property owners within 250 feet of the properties were notified by mail that there would be public hearings. Seven individuals attended to ask questions and share their concerns.
There were strong objections against the plan for the 1612 property, yet as Commissioner Chris Caponigri remarked just prior to the vote, this had “all been pre-approved any way” before the public hearings. He vaguely referred to a village zoning plan from a decade ago. “So I can’t see any problems.”
Paul Volpe, who is the village manager, presented the petitions for the parking lots. He also fielded questions and responded to comments from residents. (Paul is the brother of Peter Volpe, who is the chair of the PZD Commission.)
Across the alley along the 1612 property is Park Place Condominiums. Patricia Goebel lives in that building and expressed her disgust.
“I face that beautiful house that you paid $470,000 [for],” declared Goebel. She mentioned that she already has lights shining into her condo and complained about the noise from the Tiny Tap. “I can’t leave my windows open.”
Goebel told the commission that there are cigarette butts and beer bottles that litter the ground. The parking lot that was previously added on the other side of 77th Avenue is rarely full. She asked, “Why don’t we finally make a park at this end?”
In her opinion, given the fact that the house cost the village nearly a half million dollars, “the amount that we’re paying per parking space is obscene.”
The planned parking lots near North Avenue will add 20-24 more spots. That means the village is spending around $30,000-$35,000 for each spot in the 1614 lot and $39,000-$47,000 for each spot in the 1612 lot.
Even Paul Volpe acknowledged that the properties in this area are “getting more expensive, frankly.”
A cul-de-sac at the end of 77th Avenue is supposed to offer residents a barrier that prevents restaurant and bar traffic from disrupting their peace and quiet. However, one elderly resident, Bernard Kowalski, said he has observed cars that drive up over the curb and onto his street.
“We haven’t even designed the 77th Avenue parking lot,” Paul Volpe replied. He said he would meet with residents at noon on Tuesday—the day after the vote—to discuss the possible construction of planters or some kind of landscaping.
Paul Volpe and the commissioners seemed unaware of any instances where drivers had jumped the curbs behind the pizzeria and bar, but Paul Volpe appeared open to designing the new 1612 lot to prevent reckless driving.
Michael Krzezinski, who lives next door to the 1612 property, said that even with available spaces there are bar patrons who park their cars in front of his house. “If we have all these beautiful spots, why aren’t they using them?”
In May 2023, at the age of 45, Krzezinski was diagnosed with ALS. “I need to rest,” Krzezinski added. (He is now in a wheelchair and has a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the annual out-of-pocket cost of health care expenses.)
Jack Bower, a resident who lives with his family across the street from the 1612 property, opposed the broader plan that has taken shape near his home.
“Where is the public plan or cost-benefit analysis showing how long it will take for this investment to pay off—if it ever does?” Bower asked. “What’s the projected timeline for recouping that $470,000 through increased business taxes? How do we weigh that against the long-term damage to our tax base and surrounding home values?”
Bower continued, “It feels like this hearing is perfunctory, given that the village already purchased the property [and] has made its intentions clear. If the ultimate goal [was] to buy up every house along the alley, that should have been shared with the public from the beginning—not revealed one lot at a time.”
“This strategy of dividing and conquering prevents neighbors from organizing around a larger plan. Were these intentions ever publicly articulated?”
While Zivojnovic did not explicitly respond to Bower, he did challenge the contention that the village was neutralizing public opposition by buying properties before holding open meetings. He said that rezoning the land would devalue the homes and negatively impact property owners so that is why the village purchases homes prior to seeking permits.
The commission heard concerns about drunk driving. At least one member responded that they unfortunately cannot predict when patrons will act foolish.
If the commission or village manager has considered the potential return on investment for building the parking lots nearby restaurant row, no estimates were shared.
As for the third parking lot, the village plans to construct a government-use lot on Fullerton Avenue for Elmwood Park Police Department and Public Works vehicles. The vehicles currently take up spaces that residents should be able to use.
No resident in attendance objected to this proposal, and the properties at 7415 West Fullerton Avenue and 7417 West Fullerton Avenue did not cost the village as much as the properties near restaurant row—$195,000 for the 7415 property and $250,000 for the 7417 property.
Audio of the Elmwood Park Plan, Zoning and Development Commission (PZD) Meeting on July 25, 2025:
Thanks for this great reporting. Wow, that’s allota dough for parking spaces so far east and west of the restaurants. Agree that there are already unused spots in existing lots adjacent to restaurant row. Funny, the village has been unsuccessful in buying the one property they DO need—the house on the east side of 76th Ave at the alley; the house whose presence makes two way traffic in and out of that very busy alley impossible. The traffic backups so close to the light are dangerous and occur far more frequently now that 75th Ave is blocked off. Wondering too how residents on the 1600 block of 75th Ave like the new arrangement. EP Residents can and do park on that block and walk to the restaurants; now that block is dealing with 2-way traffic and cars parked on both sides of the street with everyone using the roundabout to go north. Seems like new kind of mess to me.
Thank you for this valuable reporting.