Where Will Fern Hill Residents Park? —Steve Weinschel

Chicago Tribune Editorial:

"Among the unaddressed issues related to the proposed Fern Hill Edgewater complex is that the developer is proposing to include parking spaces for only about a third of the housing units they want to build. Just three blocks west of Sheridan, Broadway was also massively up zoned in the past year to allow for an additional 10,000 housing units from Foster to Devon.

Simultaneously, the City Council, in its dubious wisdom, eliminated virtually all off-street parking requirements for any new development in most parts of the city. These radical actions are being taken in response to “active transportation” zealots who envision a Utopian future where everyone is joyously getting around on bikes and mass transit. The unfortunate reality is that most Edgewater residents – both renters and owners – still must rely on having a private vehicle to conduct their lives.

Currently, you will find many of the intersections on Kenmore and Winthrop, just west of Sheridan, choked with cars parked in the "No Parking/Tow Zone” spaces bordering crosswalks, reducing sightlines and adding to an environment where many no longer stop at stop signs and stop lights, adding risk to pedestrians and other vehicles alike. The addition of another massive number of housing units without adequate parking will only heighten the problem.

Much of the housing stock on Sheridan-adjacent Kenmore and Winthrop avenues consists of vintage mid-rise properties mostly without parking. While we can all hope for a drop in auto ownership rates, many working people still need vehicles for commuting to remote work locations, sales calls, and medical appointments for the physically challenged. The recent delivery gig economy has also added more pressure for car ownership… and parking.

Buildings last for generations. We cannot reinvent neighborhoods today with parking based on what we hope will occur decades from now. Edgewater deserves thoughtful planning from the bureaucrats we pay to plan our communities without bending to the political pressure of  the narrow, wishful perspective of the likes of the bike lobby and others.

—Steve Weinshel