Brookfield approves parking reduction for 9132 31st Street; owner to work with tenant on truck parking

The Village of Brookfield board approved an ordinance on Jan. 26 reducing the required number of parking spaces at 9132 31st Street from 37 to 15.

President Garvey introduced the item during regular business and Trustee Naramatsu moved approval, seconded by Trustee Hendricks; a roll-call vote recorded unanimous “Aye” and the motion passed.

Why it mattered: the reduction was sought by the property owner to support a proposed redevelopment and was discussed in the context of existing vehicles parked on the lot that limit customer access. Resident Charles Grund had earlier urged board members to support development on 31st Street, noting planning and zoning had approved a related special‑use application 4–3 and that comparable dispensaries had not created heavy traffic.

Applicant Gustavo, who identified himself in the chambers as a new owner of the building, told the board he and his team had discussed removing a fence and moving two large box trucks and several mostly stationary vehicles to the rear of the property to make room for customer parking. “Maybe we could remove the fence and we could probably move the box trucks to the back,” Gustavo said, adding he has been trying to reach Maywood Appliance, the tenant that currently parks trucks on the lot.

Libby, a village staff member, said initial engineering and planning checks suggested the back area might accommodate additional spaces but that staff would need to measure precisely. Staff noted approximate preliminary measurements: “about 16 and a half feet east to west, 5‑foot setback,” and emphasized that final measurements would be completed by engineers before any site changes.

Trustees discussed enforcement options if parked trucks continued to obstruct customer spaces. Several trustees said they preferred the owner to try to resolve the issue directly with the tenant before the board required a formal condition. President Garvey said the village could pursue an enforceable agreement with the property owner in the future if voluntary efforts failed.

The ordinance passed; President Garvey said staff will be in touch with the applicant about next steps.

The vote: motion made by Trustee Naramatsu, seconded by Trustee Hendricks; roll call recorded unanimous approval.

The board did not take a separate vote on the related special‑use matter during this meeting; Charles Grund referenced the planning-and-zoning commission’s 4–3 approval during public comment earlier in the evening. The next step for the approved parking variation is staff follow‑up with the applicant and final site measurements.