Urbana planning staff announces new principal planner and flags statewide 'People Over Parking' law

At the May 4 meeting the planning division introduced Evan Alvarez as the department’s new principal planner. Alvarez said he has worked locally for 12 years in regional transportation and senior services planning and will serve as plan commission secretary.

Staff also briefed the commission on the People Over Parking Act (referred to on the record as Senate Bill 2111), which the staff said will take effect June 1. The law prohibits municipalities from imposing parking minimums on properties located within one‑eighth of a mile of a transit corridor or within one‑half mile of a transit hub. Planning staff told commissioners they are preparing a path forward to amend the zoning ordinance to align with the new statute and expected to present next steps at an upcoming meeting.

Staff described the announcement as a high‑priority implementation item; the division said it is preparing internal workplans and expects to bring options on how to align local parking regulations with the new state requirement to a future meeting.