Maintaining the residential character of a Park Ridge neighborhood versus boosting business in the commercial district next door were two contrasting arguments heard by Park Ridge aldermen Monday night as they considered a proposal to rezone a piece of vacant property in the city’s South Park area.
In the end, the City Council voted 7-0 in favor of rezoning the grassy lot at 1110 S. Courtland Ave., just north of Talcott Road, from residential to part business, part parking. A second and final vote is still required and is expected to take place on Oct. 17.
The council’s vote was an override of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation to deny the rezoning and keep the parcel residential.
Skyline Home Investments LLC is looking to develop the site of an adjacent vacant office building — most recently used by a church — at 600 W. Talcott Road and use a portion of the 1110 S. Courtland parcel for “surplus parking” for both the development and the nearby Park Ridge Community Bank, according to information provided by the city and the prospective developer.
At this time, the only matter that has been taken up by the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission involves zoning, not what will be developed on the site. Development plans have reportedly not been submitted to city staff.
On Monday, some residents living on Courtland Avenue argued against allowing parking on what has long been a grass-covered lot, urging the City Council to keep the parcel residential.
“It is changing the nature of a residential neighborhood into a busy block,” said resident Mary Ronczy.
Resident Karen Burke argued that the lot, though sandwiched between the office building property and a single-family home, “is in the middle of a residential block.” She disagreed that Park Ridge Community Bank needs additional parking spaces as Gene Carter, chairman and CEO of the bank, claimed.
Other nearby residents called upon the City Council to approve the rezoning, saying that a new development on the old office site will only help the struggling South Park commercial district.
“While I recognize change is difficult, it’s an important part of growth,” Bonita Drive resident Diane Hamel said. “We see evidence of that in our Uptown district …. South Park deserves this opportunity.”
Hamel said a new development will bring in additional tax dollars to the city and jobs to an area that has “withered” through the loss of businesses over the years.
Kirsten Stumpf of Skyline Home Investments said turning the Courtland Avenue property into a parking area will give her company’s future commercial development room for overflow parking and will keep cars from parking on Courtland.
“We’re looking to the future,” she said. “We’re trying to improve the whole community and that corner. We’re trying to build something that’s going to be a benefit to the entire city.”
Acting Mayor Marty Maloney and Ald. John Moran, Dan Knight and Marc Mazzuca each expressed their own support for a parking lot on Courtland to accommodate some kind of new development on the corner.
“I feel like this is a good thing for South Park,” Moran said. “It brings more life to the area — it needs it badly.”
“This gives the applicant the best opportunity to chase down [the kind of] tenants I would like to see in Park Ridge,” Maloney said.
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
