Commission reviews business concerns about South Villa Avenue parking limits

Plan Commission members reviewed business feedback about proposed changes to parking time limits on South Villa Avenue, after a staff member read an email from the Villa Perk Coffee Shop asking the commission to reconsider a uniform 3-hour limit.

A staff member read the email aloud: “They feel that changing parking to 3 hours across the entire street is the wrong solution,” noting the coffee shop’s concern that longer limits reduce turnover for quick grab-and-go customers and could harm small, quick-service businesses.

Commissioners clarified the existing configuration: the east side of the Villa business district is currently posted for three-hour parking while the west side is posted for 30-minute parking. Business owners and some commissioners said the mismatch is confusing for customers; the coffee shop proposed making the south side of Kenilworth 30 minutes while keeping the north side at three hours as an alternative to changing everything to three hours.

Commissioners discussed compromise options including raising 30-minute spots to 1.5 hours across the district while preserving two grouped 15-minute spaces near quick-pickup businesses; concerns were raised about enforcement complexity if the district had many different time limits. Staff reported there are 13 existing 30-minute spots (subject to change with ongoing development) and provided a breakdown for the south side of Kenilworth (nine spots total, including one 15-minute and one handicap-designated space), and said staff would provide exact counts and site-plan implications at a future meeting.

Because the issue had not been published on the meeting agenda, commissioners agreed no formal action could be taken that night and decided to continue the conversation at the next meeting. Staff said the commission’s earlier March recommendation to the village board on Villa Avenue parking would be put on pause while the commission reconsiders.

Next steps include staff providing precise counts, location maps and options for a uniform time limit or a mixed approach, and inviting business owners for further input before the commission forwards any recommendation to the village board.