Ravi Parakkat’s recent One View [Our zoning debate should not divide us, Viewpoints, Sept. 2] calls for a pilot study of zoning changes before we embark upon a village-wide rezoning project. This seems a reasonable compromise. It’s an opportunity to judge the impacts firsthand without subjecting the rest of the village to the potentially deleterious effects of new neighbors.
We must of course pick the pilot study area carefully. Because we will be adding new housing, we want to pick an area that has space, with large lots to accommodate the new housing types. Because we’re worried about parking, we’ll need to pick an area where parking isn’t an issue. Because we’re worried about traffic and congestion, we’ll have to find a part of Oak Park that doesn’t have much traffic.
Therefore I propose that we do our zoning pilot in Northwest Oak Park.
Northwest Oak Park fits all of our criteria and is most lacking in the housing diversity we are trying to add. It also presents almost ideal social conditions. This neighborhood values equity, education and inclusion and will surely extend those ideals to new neighbors.
We should set aside at least 30 blocks; that way nobody will be able to accuse the results of being watered down by too small a sample size. The pilot, of course, will be voluntary. Nobody will be forced to sell their home or to build an apartment building. They will just be allowed to do so. Existing residents will continue to enjoy their homes just as they are, with the potential added inconvenience of knowing somebody who rents.
As Ravi notes, we will need measures of success. Will the new zoning produce more affordable housing? Will it allow for greater diversity? Will it provide accessible housing for the elderly? Will it make space for younger folks with no children? Will people who work in Oak Park be able to afford living there? This will likely require extensive consulting engagements, exhaustive data tracking, and perhaps even a new village commission to manage the process.
One of the primary benefits of a pilot is that it will provide ample opportunities for the public engagement that has been so lacking in this process thus far. The residents of Northwest Oak Park are old hands at registering their opinions. They will thoroughly vet the changes that result, ensuring we get an extensive accounting of any potential adverse impacts. This level of scrutiny should reassure those who worry we aren’t proceeding with care.
Some might prefer to do a pilot along one of our existing commercial corridors — Madison, Austin, or Roosevelt for example. But these areas are already dense. Putting new apartments beside existing apartments wouldn’t tell us much about the viability of introducing middle housing into single-family neighborhoods.
A zoning pilot in Northwest Oak Park is an excellent opportunity for compromise. Small enough to limit the impact, large enough to provide clear data, voluntary, and conducted in a neighborhood with residents deeply committed to progressive values.
I look forward to former trustee Parakkat’s support of this modest proposal.
Unless, of course, the location requires further study.