Elmhurst council adopts 40-year sidewalk master plan, 13-1

The Elmhurst City Council on Feb. 18 approved a sidewalk master plan that maps out up to 40 years of sidewalk construction across the city, with an initial three‑year target to complete priority ‘safe routes to school’ segments.

The 13–1 vote on the report came after more than an hour of discussion and committee-level work described by supporters as the product of multiple years of referrals and nine committee meetings. The plan groups identified sidewalk segments into three phases (14 segments in phase 1, 33 in phase 2 and 49 in phase 3) and sets staged completion targets: roughly three years for phase 1, seven years for phase 2 and 30 years for phase 3.

Committee chair Alderman Michael Brennan said staff developed a rubric to rank the 96 staff‑identified segments by safety factors, proximity to schools, parks and transit, and connectivity. "Because of the sensitivity for safe routes to school, we put a 3‑year completion target on that," Brennan said. The committee estimated phase 1 contains about 6,200 linear feet (1.19 miles) and used a planning cost of roughly $200 per linear foot in today’s dollars.

Supporters, including Aldermen Jacob Hill and Jacob Jensen, said the plan provides a consistent, long-term approach and removes the recurring neighborhood conflicts that arise when sidewalks are considered block‑by‑block. Jensen traced the item’s history to a January 2021 referral and highlighted prior related actions that led to the current plan. Alderman Guido Grama said the plan would take decisions about sidewalks out of the hands of individual blocks and avoid “pitting neighbor against neighbor.”

Alderman Toluto cast the lone dissenting vote and said he could support phase 1 (safe routes to school) but opposed phases 2 and 3 as written. Toluto raised three concerns: uncertain public support for extensive sidewalk construction across the city, the absence of an appeal or opt‑out process for blocks identified for sidewalks, and budget trade‑offs with other capital priorities. He told the council the plan’s estimated $20 million cost in today’s dollars could conflict with other projects such as a proposed police station.

Other speakers urged caution about trees, parkway impacts and the source of funding. Council members repeatedly noted the plan is an implementation roadmap rather than an immediate spending authorization; annual budget decisions and future councils would determine actual construction pacing. Alderman Brennan and others said the committee recommended reviewing progress every three years and that staff will continue to pursue state and federal funding to help offset local costs.

The roll call recorded yes votes from Aldermen Hill, Shanko, Jensen, Bram, Cahill, Park, Nudera, Bastido, Nardini, Brennan, Urbie, Bellinger and Verimas; Alderman Taluto voted no. With the vote the council adopted the report and its recommended next steps, including city staff preparing necessary documents for future approvals and budgeting.

The council’s materials estimate the full program at roughly $20 million in today’s dollars and tie initial funding decisions to the annual budget process. The plan directs that sidewalks be installed on one side of streets without sidewalks and that staff determine the appropriate side during design. The plan also calls for a public review by the Public Affairs and Safety Committee every three years to track progress.

Council members said the item originated from multi‑year referrals and committee work; the committee report accompanying the plan is signed by Alderman Michael Brennan (chair), Alderman Jacob Hill (vice chair) and Alderman Guido Nardini. The council did not set additional immediate funding; specific projects and funding sources will be addressed in the annual budget process.