Downtown La Grange Parking Concerns Restaurant

LA GRANGE, IL – Parking in downtown La Grange has long been an issue, so the village is about ready to conduct a study, officials said Monday.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, Dan Spain, owner of The Elm restaurant, 23 W. Harris Ave., said he was glad the nearby La Grange Theatre was opening soon.

But he said he was slightly concerned with the parking situation in light of the opening.

The theater, which closed at the beginning of the pandemic, is under renovation. It is expected to attract more customers because it plans to show first-run movies.

Spain wanted to know the village's short- and long-term plans for downtown parking.

Village President Mark Kuchler said the board takes the parking issue seriously and is always looking for opportunities.

Recently, village officials met with their counterparts in La Grange School District 102 about using one or more of the district's parking lots. This was at the recommendation of village Trustee Beth Augustine, Kuchler said.

"The meeting went incredibly well," he said. "Board President Mike Melendez was very receptive to the idea. The superintendent was more than willing to look into it."

For the last several weeks, the village has been able to use a teacher parking lot on Ashland Avenue for downtown customers during weekend nights, Kuchler said.

"We're continuing to partner with them for other lots that may be available," he said.

The village recently sought proposals from consultants to conduct a parking study. The board is expected to vote on hiring one of them.

A study would take about six months, a process that would include extensive public input, Village Manager Andrianna Peterson said.