Buffalo Grove residents choose trees over parking

Residents of a Buffalo Grove neighborhood slated for street improvements are sacrificing their parking options to save parkway trees.

Under a plan backed by residents, parking will be restricted to one side of the street along Thompson Boulevard and Brandywyn Lane in exchange for parkway trees remaining in place along those thoroughfares.

Village Engineer Darren T. Monico told village trustees Monday that more than 90 percent of the 180 residents who responded to letters soliciting input preferred the trees to less restrictive parking regulations.

"I think the overwhelming response makes it pretty clear," Trustee Jeffrey Berman said.

Work is set to begin in 2020 on a project that will improve Thompson Boulevard from Arlington Heights Road to Weiland Road, and Brandywyn Lane from Deerfield Parkway to Prairie Road. Due to their classification as collector roads, the work is eligible for federal funding, resulting in a $5.8 million savings to the village.

However, in order to receive federal money, the roads must be built wide enough to accommodate two driving lanes. For Thompson and Brandywyn, that meant either removing trees or eliminating parking on one side of the road.

Under the current plan, parking would be prohibited on the side of the street that currently has fire hydrants - the east and south side of Brandywyn and the north side of Thompson.

According to village documents, the work will take place from 2020 through 2022 and will include reconstruction of Thompson from Brandywyn to Buffalo Grove Road and Brandywyn from Thompson to Aptakisic Road, resurfacing and widening and/or curb replacement of Thompson from Buffalo Grove Road to Weiland Road and Brandywyn from Aptakisic Road to Prairie Road, reconstruction of Thompson from Arlington Heights Road to Brandywyn, and resurfacing and widening and/or curb replacement of Brandywyn from Deerfield Parkway to Thompson.