Moving ahead with plans for a transit-oriented development, Oak Forest city officials have rezoned a former school site for a commuter parking lot and approved a plat for condos and retail businesses at 159th Street and Cicero Avenue.
The commuter lot is planned for 3.5 acres on the former Arbor Park Middle School.
It was zoned for business and residential, but required a change to only business, according to city officials. With room for almost 500 parking spaces, it will become the primary commuter lot, supplanting the current lot near the train station.
In May, a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting drew comments and concerns from about 15 residents who live near the site about traffic congestion, lights that might shine in their windows and having to face a concrete lot instead of a school with a grassy area.
But representatives of Rosemont-based Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd., which is designing the lot with advice from the city and residents, said physical barriers, signage and police enforcement will be used to handle traffic.
“Any time a parking lot is located in a residential area, there are concerns,” said Michael Kerr, the firm’s executive vice president. “We’re trying to fit the design into the neighborhood as best we can.”
The plat approved for the lot near the train station divides the area into two lots for condominiums and retail, four lots for retail, and two that will first be used for commuter parking and later for condos. It includes about 54,500 square feet of commercial space.
Between 100 and 150 of the commuter parking spaces will remain at the site, with more spaces available at two nearby smaller lots.
