Village staff previews Main Street Core and Edge districts; board raises parking concerns

Village planning staff presented draft zoning language for two new Main Street districts — a Main Street Core intended to encourage mixed-use, building-fronting sidewalk development, and a Main Street Edge intended as a lower-intensity transition to nearby residential areas. The draft includes design standards, reduced parking requirements, and provisions for accessory dwelling units and small accessory commercial units.

Staff said the districts are meant to implement the Main Street plan’s vision for a more walkable, active downtown and would include standards for building height (two to four stories in the Core, a maximum of three stories in the Edge), materials, and ground-floor activation. The draft also contemplates reduced parking requirements to reflect the district’s walkable nature, but staff and board members acknowledged parking will need closer study.

Board members repeatedly raised parking as a primary concern, asking where residents and customers would park if upper-level residential units or ground-floor commercial uses arrive. Staff said the village is proposing a limited, proactive rezoning pilot in specific areas to test the approach; staff said they anticipate reviewing the pilot projects’ effects on parking and public infrastructure before any broad roll-out. The draft would also allow property owners to request the new districts for their parcels, subject to the normal rezoning process.

A local business owner asked whether a two-story requirement in the Core district would be imposed on existing single-story commercial parcels; staff said the current draft requires a minimum of two stories along the Core in the mapped areas but acknowledged mapping and specific project requirements will be refined as the ordinance is finalized. Staff said the draft will be refined in response to board feedback and that the village hopes to start public hearings in the fall.