I am very concerned that the elimination of single-family zoning will change Oak Park drastically, by creating a mixture of single-family and multi-unit buildings with increased noise, traffic and parking congestion.
Apparently, the envisioned multi-units will house renters rather than buyers. Renters tend to be transient and much less committed to the well-being of the community than owners would be. We already have many high-rise buildings full of renters; why would we want to break up stable, historic neighborhoods to further increase the population density?
I realize that Village President Vicki Scaman may be anxious to please the Governor, having been the only mayor to attend his round-table discussion on the BUILD program, but why should Oak Park be the guinea pig for this program? Will wealthy suburbs such as Winnetka, Wilmette or Evanston buy into this initiative?
Any position that the Oak Park Village Board might take on rezoning should be put to a binding referendum. After the debacle on leaf collection, I do not trust the board to reach the best decision for Oak Park.
George Uslenghi
Oak Park