Mount Prospect gives school break on parking lot requirement

After learning that Mount Prospect School District 57 failed to install 13 planned landscaping islands in the recently expanded parking lot at Westbrook School, village officials Tuesday agreed to lift the requirement in return for additional landscaping to screen neighboring homes.

School officials said they decided against installing the islands out of concern for student safety. The islands, officials said, would obstruct sight lines in the parking lot.

"This really was a matter of safety," Superintendent Elaine Aumiller told village trustees.

Ben Ahring, a consultant for District 57, said the islands, which could feature trees, create blind spots in the lot.

"You're creating places where the driver even becomes distracted," he added.

Village trustees were unhappy the district chose to exclude islands from the lot without first consulting them, and directed some tough questions to village staff about its monitoring of the situation and District 57 representatives.

Ultimately, trustees approved a zoning variance for the parking lot, with Trustee Richard Rogers as the only board member to vote against it.

"I think we're setting a dangerous precedent not to have the tree islands," he said, adding that the vote might encourage other builders to do the same.

However, Trustee Michael Zadel called it "a unique situation" given the needs of parents and students walking to and from the school.

The decision disappointed one of the school's neighbors, Central Avenue resident Bill Millar.

"We have to live with this huge parking lot 24/7, so we would prefer to see it environmentally friendly and as aesthetic as possible," he said.

But parent Paul Connelly said the islands could be attractive play spaces for kids who might not be seen by drivers.

"We just want all the kids to be as safe as possible," Connelly said.