My husband and I have lived in Oak Park for over 30 years, initially renting in a 3-flat in northeast Oak Park, and now owning a house in northwest Oak Park. We chose Oak Park because it was ideally located for our work commutes; I worked at the Brach candy plant in Chicago, and my husband worked at Argonne National lab in Lemont. We raised our two sons here, and have enjoyed all that the village has to offer.
When we moved here, we were unaware of Oak Park’s history with respect to its focus on diversity; over time we have come to understand and appreciate Oak Park’s diversity in many areas: its distinct neighborhoods, its busy and calmer streets, its business-heavy and more residential streets, and of course, the ethnic and racial makeup of the community.
We live on a block with diverse residents: all ages, races, and ethnicities. There are American and Mexican flags in front of the houses on our block. While our block consists of all single-family homes, we live one block in from Harlem, with its multi-family homes. We enjoy walking on our block and in the neighborhood without worrying too much about excessive traffic and pedestrian density.
I am not in favor of replacing the single-family homes on our block with 2-, 3- or 4-flats. It would change the character and create more density and traffic. I do not appreciate being termed “racist” by a board member for having this opinion. That’s a non-starter for having a respectful discussion.
At a minimum, why not hold a referendum to see how the residents feel about the proposed rezoning? It would be a major change, and I believe that residents deserve to have their voices heard.
I can only conclude that the board does not want to hear what residents think. Public meetings may not represent the sum total of opinions — they represent only what the people that choose to attend and speak think. There are those of us who have opinions but choose not to attend or speak publicly.
Lori Rothman
Oak Park