River Forest’s village government continues to make headway in streamlining its systems. Moving rather quickly through the evaluation process at this moment is a proposal we favor that will lessen the threshold at which a home upgrade project sets off all the alarms and whistles of a zoning variance process.
Like a lot of older towns, River Forest has a goodly percentage of residential properties that are “legally non-conforming.” Basically it means that as zoning regs have been modernized, a good number of parcels no longer meet those standards. They’re fine, well-built, well-maintained properties. But if a property owner seeks to make a renovation, even within the existing footprint of the home, they must seek costly and time-consuming variances.
The zoning board and then the village board are being asked to sign off on new criterion that will allow changes and improvements that do not alter the footprint of the building. This is a common-sense change and we support it.
Sometimes no decision is the right decision. That was the case last week when the school board at Oak Park and River Forest High School rejected all three finalists for the critical task of leading the upcoming strategic planning process at District 200. Board members concluded that none of the three finalists had nailed the critical issue of community involvement in the planning process. There was also the sense that the board itself needed to spend more time assessing its goals for the strategic plan. Good work.
The Lake Theatre, always a beacon in this village, has moved even a notch higher with its support of the First Tuesday Club, effectively a structured way to book “art films,” or as we call them, “really good movies,” once each month. It is a notable effort and we appreciate it.