Whenever I tell people I live in Oak Park, I almost always get the same response. They say, “I love Oak Park. The homes there are so beautiful” or “I love the architecture there.” Let’s face it. That is one of the things that makes our suburb special.
Ever since the pandemic, I have developed a habit of taking a walk whenever the weather permits, and posting photos of the walks on Facebook. Hundreds of people, to my surprise, follow and comment on these posts. Some of the photos are of flowers, seasonal decorations or trips, but the majority are of the beautiful houses in Oak Park. I frequently get comments about their beauty.
Every once in a while I walk past a block where a Victorian was torn down to put up some nondescript apartment building and wonder how the village of several decades ago allowed that. I never dreamed it could happen again on a large scale.
I had a letter published in the Journal a few weeks ago about how my opposition to the proposal to eliminate single-family zoning was primarily about density. While that is true, the other main reason is because it would greatly eliminate the special beauty of Oak Park.
It makes me sad to think that a beautiful Victorian could be torn down to make way for an apartment building. Don’t think that wouldn’t happen. As it is, I get calls asking if my little bungalow is for sale. How much more tempting it would be for someone who lives on a larger lot to sell to a developer. That is what the proposal is encouraging, isn’t it? Over a few years the architectural distinctiveness of our community would disappear.
This is an irreversible decision.
Some things I don’t like, such as the puzzling bicycle stencils on the streets, could be reversed in the future, but once a 19th-century home is torn down, it can never be brought back.
I ask the board to please think of other ways to help with affordability. Please preserve for future generations the wonderful architectural legacy we have been left.
Joyce Porter
Oak Park