Taste of Glen Ellyn Considers Move to Downtown Commuter Parking Lot

GLEN ELLYN, IL - Proposed downtown development projects are forcing Taste of Glen Ellyn organizers to rethink where it will hold its four-day festival this coming May.

The Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce is proposing moving the foodie event from a parking lot near the former Giesche Shoes store on the corner of Main Street and Hillside Avenue to a downtown commuter parking lot located just south of the railroad tracks between Main Street and Park Boulevard, according to the Chicago Tribune. The western half of the commuter parking lot would be closed during the event, according to a village news update.

The former Giesche Shoes lot is part of a proposed five-story mixed-use development and parking garage. A carnival that is held during the festival, and is run by the village fair committee, could also be affected by a proposed downtown development. The carnival is currently held in the former McChesney & Miller Grocery store lot, which is where a $75 million mixed-use development is being proposed, the newspaper reports. Chamber officials said it would be up to the village fair committee to decide on what it would like to do about this year’s carnival.

The chamber will be requesting official approval from the village board to move to the downtown commuter lot at the village board workshop held at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Civic Center, 535 Duane Street. Residents, business owners, and commuters are all encouraged to attend the workshop and provide input to the village board on this matter, according to the village newsletter.

The Taste of Glen Ellyn will be held from May 19 to 22 this year.

Read more in the Chicago Tribune article.