Residents urge North Aurora to address crowded street parking in Chesterfield subdivision
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Summary
Multiple residents told the board cars parked overnight and apparent home-based vehicle repair are making streets difficult to navigate; staff outlined enforcement and ordinance options including code enforcement, police checks for commercial vehicles and one-sided parking evaluations.
Several residents of the Chesterfield subdivision told the North Aurora Village Board on Sept. 15 that street parking has become hazardous and persistent, and they asked the village to review enforcement and possible parking restrictions.
"Our subdivision has become very crowded with parked cars on the street. We have basically, when you go in there, it's hard to maneuver around the cars," resident Leanne Keats said during the public-comment period. Keats said street parking now regularly includes larger delivery-style vans and multiple vehicles per household, and said some driveways are full and residents rely on on-street parking overnight.
Staff described three options they would pursue: (1) have the code officer and police check whether vehicles meet the village definition of commercial vehicles and enforce where appropriate; (2) investigate suspected home-based vehicle-repair/home-occupation activity under zoning rules (mechanic shops are specifically disallowed as home occupations); and (3) evaluate a one-side parking restriction for Stewart Street, which residents identified as a narrow connector that is often parked on both sides.
The village’s code officer explained the municipal code’s commercial-vehicle definition includes vehicles with a class F plate or higher, box trucks where the cab is separated from the box, or Class D vehicles with visible commercial equipment (ladder racks) or vehicles over 90 inches in height. Staff cautioned that one-sided parking on a street tends to shift parking to adjacent streets.
A resident who said she had reported suspected vehicle repair to the police two to three years ago said officers visited the address and warned the homeowner about encroaching on the sidewalk; she said repairs continued later. Staff told residents enforcement can be documented by multiple site visits and that code enforcement could pursue home-occupation violations if evidence (for example, a permanent vehicle lift in a garage) can be observed.
Staff asked residents to provide contact information and addresses so code enforcement could follow up. "If the board wants us to look into parking restrictions, we can... Nathan and I both have cards right at the bottom of the stairs," a staff member said.
The board did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with callers and begin enforcement checks.
Sources: public comments and staff responses at the Sept. 15 North Aurora Village Board meeting.