Fix For 'Scary' Darien Parking Issue May Be At Hand

DARIEN, IL – Darien officials say they may have a solution for a parking issue resulting from a farm's public activities.

Residents in the Brookeridge Creek neighborhood have expressed concern about parking from the Honey Bee Gardens Farm on Kearney Road.

One of those residents is Mayor Joseph Marchese, who lives a tenth of a mile away on Kentwood Court. Kearney Road is the only way to get in and out of the subdivision.

"As a resident in that area, it really is scary when you see children getting out of their parents' cars and you're headed down that street. Children are running in the middle of the street, and mothers are pushing strollers, and they're all headed to the (farm)," Marchese said.

Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, said he has discussed the issue with a couple of neighboring property owners and Cindy Perkins LaRocca, the farm's owner.

As a result of those talks, the city plans to present a proposal soon for no-parking signs along certain portions of the 8300 and 8400 blocks of Kearney Road, Gombac said.

The city would also install a shoulder to widen the road, which would come at the farm's cost, he said.

Marchese said a sign would be posted at the subdivision's entrance telling farm visitors not to park there.

"I told Dan I would only accept a plan that included building an additional shoulder on (the farm's) side of the road," the mayor said.

Marchese said the farm, which is in DuPage County's jurisdiction, meets zoning regulations.

"Those people in the area that don't like the farm have to accept the fact that the farm is going to be there, and it's not going to go away," he said. "In fact, it really is a nice presence in that area."

The farm welcomes the public from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from June to October.

In a Patch story earlier this month, the farm's owner, LaRocca, responded to neighbors' concerns about parking.