Sidewalk No-Go In Elmhurst Neighborhood

ELMHURST, IL – Residents in an Elmhurst neighborhood have not shown enough interest in making a sidewalk happen on their street, the city said.

Last year, the city received a petition for a sidewalk on Glade Avenue from Second to Third streets.

Under a longtime program, residents and the city cover half the costs of a new sidewalk. That's on the condition that 60 percent of property owners are on board.

In early April, the city mailed a survey to the 17 homeowners, giving them a month to respond. Even after extending the deadline by a week, only four answered – with three for and one against.

A city map of the street shows how each resident responded.

Because of the result, the matter will be considered closed for a year, according to a city memo.

Some city aldermen are calling for Elmhurst to make sidewalks a priority and invest more money in them. It's been 15 years since a neighborhood has taken advantage of the cost-sharing program.

In an interview Friday, Ward 2 Alderman Jacob Hill said he understood the frustration of residents over the costs of sidewalks.

"If we rely on cost-sharing, I don't see how we'll ever get there," Hill said.

Last year's petition also included Glenview Avenue, from Second to Third, which is the next block over from Glade. The city memo did not indicate what happened to that part of the petition.

Glade and Glenview are north-south streets in Ward 2, southeast of Route 83 and North Avenue.

Most of Elmhurst has sidewalks. However, that's not the case in northeast Ward 3, where many streets don't have them.

Last year, Elmhurst released a map showing where sidewalks are in town.