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Alsip Park District asks village to lift paving requirement for Freedom Park parking area
Summary
The Alsip Park District asked trustees to remove a permit condition requiring impermeable paving for a future parking area at Freedom Park, saying an MWRD permit allows a permeable gravel surface and the site is zoned public land; village staff said the municipal code’s Section 17‑9 does not explicitly address public land and the board may hear an appeal from the building commissioner’s occupancy condition.
Jeanette Huber, director of parks and recreation for the Alsip Park District, asked the Village of Alsip to remove a permit condition that requires paving a proposed parking area at Freedom Park.
“My name is Jeanette Huber. I’m the director of parks and recreation for the Alsip Park District,” Huber said, explaining that the district received a permit from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District that contemplates a permeable CA‑6 gravel surface for the future lot rather than asphalt or concrete. She told trustees the park site is zoned PL (public land) and said the district believes the village ordinance’s paving requirement applies to industrial, commercial and residential zones, not public land.
Village staff reviewed the relevant code on the record. The mayor’s office read a legal opinion noting that Section 17‑9 of the municipal code requires parking areas and ingress/egress to be paved with impermeable surfaces but that the zoning ordinance’s classification for public land does not explicitly set parking requirements. That creates ambiguity, staff said, and under sections 6‑2 and 6‑17 the mayor and board serve as the appeals board for the building commissioner’s occupancy determination.
Building commissioner Raj (addressed by trustees) said his interpretation is that parking areas generally should be asphalt, concrete or an approved permeable paver, noting the village has required similar surfacing for other properties. Huber said the MWRD permit’s design includes a compacted subgrade, filter fabric and 8 inches of compacted CA‑6 gravel and that the district uses that surface standard elsewhere successfully.
Trustees pressed Huber on Americans with Disabilities Act access, stormwater drainage and maintenance; Huber said the design includes a single paved ADA space, curb work and accessible routes to park features and that the larger park (about 22 acres) already contains paved areas to the west that provide accessible circulation. Trustees suggested the park district could pave only the street apron where stone might migrate to the roadway as a limited compromise; Huber said she would consult her design engineer and MWRD for a technical answer.
The board agreed to place the matter on next week’s agenda for further consideration and to treat the request as an appeal of the building commissioner’s occupancy condition under the municipal code. Huber offered to arrange site visits for trustees.
What happens next: Trustees will review the packet of materials provided by the park district, staff will confirm MWRD conditions and the item will return to the board for formal action.
