Palos Park mayor previews development code changes, including 1,500 sq ft minimum and unchanged commercial-vehicle rule

Mayor Nicole Milvitch Walters said the Village of Palos Park will bring a revised development code to the Plan Commission on Feb. 19, 2026, outlining new minimums, setback adjustments and zoning-map classification changes.

"First, no change as to the existing ordinance regarding commercial vehicles," Walters said in a recorded message, adding that under the existing rule "commercial vehicles, including pickup trucks with company logos, cannot be parked on the driveway overnight." That provision, she said, is not part of the proposed changes.

The proposal would set a new minimum home size. Walters reviewed the history of the square-footage standard, saying that in 2005 minimums had been 1,200 square feet for single-story homes and 1,400 square feet for two-story homes, that the standard was later raised to 2,200 square feet, and that "now they're proposing 1,500 square foot minimum for a home in Palos Park." The mayor described the change as part of an effort to update standards developed over several years of hearings.

Walters said the Plan Commission also discussed different setback requirements for lots of one acre or more versus legacy lots of less than one acre. "The intent of the plan commission is an attempt at fairness," she said, explaining commissioners were concerned that rules designed for larger lots could be too burdensome on smaller, legacy parcels. She added the commission does not want new homes to "almost touch each other on the property line," and framed the adjustments as an effort to preserve Palos Park's "expansive and open feel."

On the zoning map, Walters said certain parcels will retain their manufacturing designation: "the properties, commonly known as the post office and Carlson Asphalt, will remain zoned for manufacturing. That will not change." She also said some village-owned parcels, including the Metro parking lot, are proposed to move to an institutional classification because they are owned by the Village of Palos Park.

Walters described the intended uses for parcels designated open space, saying most are forest preserve property and listing permitted uses as "agricultural, community garden, conservation area, park and playground, and wireless communication," adding that the wireless item is required by the Federal Communications Commission. She said proposed special uses that would be allowed by application include telecommunications, a golf driving range, a cemetery and government offices or facilities; any such special-use proposal would need to be applied for to the Plan Commission and then considered by the Village Council after public hearings.

The mayor said this update is the result of a process that began more than three years ago and included numerous public hearings before the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Plan Commission. She said she would post another video to clarify definitions and the use table and asked residents with questions to reach out to village staff or to her. The Plan Commission is scheduled to consider the update on Feb. 19, 2026.