Overnight parking ban to be enforced in neighborhood

Mount Prospect prohibits overnight parking.

However, over the past couple of years, there has been a notable exception. Residents living near Lions Memorial Park have been able to park overnight on the north side of Sha-Bonee Trail between William and Edward streets.

The prohibition was relaxed to give area residents time to find a solution to a lack of parking in the area.

The problem is no one has come up with a solution. So, police have informed residents that they will soon be enforcing the village's ordinance.

Residents have until Nov. 1 to find alternatives to parking on the street. Otherwise, they can expect to see citations on their windshields.

Last week, a number of residents approached the village board with a petition, pleading for relief and even expressing a willingness to pay a permit fee to park on the street.

One of the residents, Joseph Mojica, said most families have more than one vehicle out of necessity.

"By removing the option to park in the streets, you have removed the means by which some families are able to make their living and for some the ability to maintain family values," he said.

Police Chief John Dahlberg and Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks pointed out that the ordinance banning overnight parking has been on the books for decades.

Dahlberg said the parking problem on Sha-Bonee is something that has grown over the past four years.

A construction firm, Katco Development Inc., has voiced concern about illegally parked vehicles blocking the removal of heavy equipment from its property early in the morning, he said.

"I know from personal experience, having patrolled that area as a patrolman some 20 plus years ago, that this was never a problem before," he said. "Yes, I understand times have changed, and I believe the density in these units is greater than it used to be. Perhaps more individually licensed drivers are residing there."

Resident David Brents said though that Katco is part of the problem because many on-street spaces are used by its employees.

Dahlberg said he is willing to work with residents, but added the situation is complicated by the need to deal with several homeowners associations.

He said there was some talk about using the Maple Street lot for overnight parking for a fee. But he said this would mean a two-and-a-half-block walk, moving the car during the day and being prohibited from parking during snow removal.

Trustee Paul Hoefert expressed reluctance to relax the ban for one area.

"If we allow this to happen in this neighborhood, we're going to be approached by lots of the neighborhoods," he said. "It boils down to, you have to live on a property that fits your lifestyle. So if you have multiple automobiles, but you only have one parking place, that type of property doesn't work for you. You have to find something else or you have to find a place where you can put your other vehicles."