Highland Park approves bike‑parking incentives, advances pedestrian‑path rules; trail‑connection requirements deferred

The Highland Park City Council on May 20 approved portions of a proposed amendment to the city zoning code that creates incentives for on‑site bicycle parking and raises internal pedestrian walkway standards for large parking lots, while deferring two contested requirements — mandatory bike‑parking minimums for new developments and mandatory connections to adjacent trails — for later council consideration.

Mayor Nancy Rotering and city staff said the package implements goals from the city’s Move HP plan, with Director Joel Fontaine telling council members that “staff recommend adoption of the ordinance amending the zoning code to establish essentially bike parking requirements for new and commercial multifamily developments, internal parking lot pedestrian path requirements for parking lots, and requirements for new commercial and multifamily and planned developments to provide connections to adjacent existing or planned trails.”

The council’s partial approval covers (a) two bicycle‑parking incentives that let developers convert bicycle spaces into vehicle‑parking credit (8 long‑term bicycle spaces offset one minimum vehicle space, and one existing vehicle space can be converted by right into 8 non‑long‑term bicycle spaces) and (b) changes to pedestrian‑sidewalk design inside parking facilities (raising a required sidewalk width from 3 feet to 5 feet and adding an internal pedestrian path requirement for very large parking lots). The council voted 6–0 to approve those elements; it voted later to return the remaining items to a future date uncertain for further consideration.

Why it matters: Council members framed the package as an effort to increase pedestrian safety and promote multimodal access while recognizing tradeoffs for limited development sites. Supporters said the measures are modest and are standard practice in peer communities; critics said the mandatory elements proposed earlier could impose costs, reduce developable area, or be poorly tailored to existing local conditions and demographics.

Key details from the approved provisions and the council debate - Bicycle‑parking rules (approved as incentives): Long‑term bicycle parking is defined and, as an incentive, 8 long‑term bicycle spaces may offset one required motor‑vehicle parking space. Additionally, one existing motor‑vehicle parking space may be converted by right into 8 non‑long‑term bicycle parking spaces. Fontaine said staff derived parking rates from municipal code research and a Northwest Municipal Conference survey and incorporated Transportation Advisory Group feedback. - Bicycle‑parking minimums (deferred): The ordinance originally proposed long‑term bicycle parking at a rate of 1 space per 3 dwelling units (minimum 5 spaces) for multifamily developments and a commercial ratio tied to required vehicle parking (for example, 1 bicycle space per 10 required vehicle spaces for the first 100 vehicle spaces). Council members who wanted more time questioned whether uniform minimums fit Highland Park’s varied building types and resident demographics; those items were continued to a future date uncertain. - Pedestrian paths and sidewalks (approved): The council approved raising the required sidewalk width that separates parking areas from buildings from 3 feet to 5 feet to align with other sidewalk standards and with accessibility expectations. The council also approved a new requirement that very large parking lots (the ordinance text describes a threshold) provide internal pedestrian paths at least 5 feet wide to connect buildings, parking areas, and on‑site bike parking. - Trail connections and buffering (deferred): The proposed amendment would have required planned developments adjacent to existing or proposed trails to provide 5‑foot pedestrian connections and landscape buffering along those property lines. Several council members said they support the concept but want more outreach and refinement before making it a requirement; that portion was continued.

What council members said - Council Member Tapia said the ordinance’s goals were sound but urged more education and stakeholder engagement before adopting mandatory elements. “I feel there’s a bunch of unanswered questions or threats we gotta pull on to really get comfortable,” Tapia said, adding that the city should invite developers to the conversation to avoid unintended consequences. - Council Member Goldberg supported the approved incentives and called the overall proposal modest, noting PDC and TAG had recommended the changes. “I think this is a modest plan. I think we have to start somewhere,” Goldberg said. - Director Joel Fontaine gave the technical presentation and walked through standards staff proposed, including the 100‑foot maximum distance for long‑term bike parking from the principal entrance (unless in a secure indoor room), the 1 per 3 rate for long‑term spaces in multifamily uses as drafted, and the 8:1 bicycle‑to‑vehicle offset ratio used for the incentive.

Council votes and next steps - The council approved the bicycle‑parking incentives and the pedestrian‑path/sidewalk changes by a recorded vote of 6–0 (ayes: Council Members Senter, Breckman, Ross, Tapia, Bloomberg; Mayor Nancy Rotering — recorded in the clerk’s roll call as 6 ayes, no nays). - On the items the council did not finalize — the mandatory minimum bicycle‑parking rates for new commercial and multifamily developments and the mandatory trail‑connection requirements — the council voted to return those remaining items to a future date uncertain for additional consideration (vote recorded as 3 ayes, 2 nays, 1 abstention). Council members who voted to continue the items cited the need for further study and developer input; those who opposed delaying said they did not want to stall implementation of Move HP goals. - The ordinance language approved by the council will be incorporated for final review by the corporation counsel and return to the council as required for ministerial steps (staff said the approved portions will move forward while the council develops next steps for the deferred components).

Context and background The proposed amendments implement parts of Move HP, the city’s multimodal and transportation plan adopted in October 2020. Staff said the draft changes were informed by public commissions — the Transportation Advisory Group (TAG) and the Plan and Design Commission (PDC) — which held hearings and then recommended the amendments to the council. Fontaine told the council the PDC voted 6–0 to recommend approval after TAG feedback was incorporated.

What to watch for next Council members asked staff to schedule a Committee of the Whole conversation and additional outreach with developers and stakeholders to refine the deferred requirements. The council’s planning staff will prepare materials and recommended adjustments for that future discussion; no date was specified.

Votes at a glance - Omnibus (items 1–5, 7, 9): Approved (6 ayes, no nays). Recorded roll call: Senter Aye; Breckman Aye; Ross Aye; Tapia Aye; Bloomberg Aye; Mayor Nancy Rotering Aye. - Item 6 (zoning code amendment — partial): Bicycle‑parking incentives and pedestrian‑path/sidewalk changes — Approved (6 ayes, no nays). Other components of Item 6 (mandatory bike‑parking minimums; mandatory trail‑connection requirements) continued to a date uncertain by recorded vote (3 ayes, 2 nays, 1 abstain). - Item 8 (2025 affordable housing plan): Postponed to next meeting (approved to postpone, 6 ayes). - Item 10 (preliminary development plan and inclusionary housing plan): Approved (5 ayes, 1 no). Recorded roll call: Senter Aye; Brockman Aye; Ross Aye; Tapia Aye; Bloomberg No; Mayor Nancy Rotering Aye.

Ending: The council’s split on mandatory bike‑parking minimums and trail connections underscores tension between the Move HP goals and developer concerns about feasibility and site constraints; staff were directed to continue outreach and return to the council with refinements for the deferred items.