Itasca schedules neighborhood meeting to address parking around former Presbyterian church site

Village Administrator Carrie Ann announced May 20 that the village will hold a neighborhood open‑house meeting next Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. to discuss parking management in the area bounded roughly by Center Street, Walnut, Arlington Road and Division Street.

The meeting is a resident‑focused effort to test short‑term strategies before a major religious holiday when the congregation expects higher attendance. Staff said temporary measures will include marking one‑side parking on Center Street and on Elm, Linden, Rush and Cherry (between Center and Division) and considering other tools such as one‑way restrictions or permit parking. Village staff said the congregation has been cooperative, has offered to stagger services and has identified additional parking options (including the metro parking lot), and the village plans door‑to‑door outreach and an open‑house format to collect resident feedback.

Officials said the meeting is not intended to revisit the congregation’s use rights; staff emphasized the property owner has a continued right to use the property consistent with prior use and that the village’s role is limited to parking management and public‑safety concerns. The village said it will use input from neighbors to inform both near‑term markings and long‑term design considerations for the north‑side infrastructure project.