THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2006
New Zoning Resists Developer Demands
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Reporter
The two-year-long project to rewrite Park Ridge's zoning code is in its final stages.
Members of the committee that has spent more than a year discussing how to update the code for the 21st century will soon receive the second draft of a new code from Camiros Ltd. and the city staff.
The committee held its last meeting on May 10. At that time, all of its discussions and input were turned over to Camiros, a Chicago-based urban planning firm, for the actual rewrite.
Staff reportedly took an initial look at the first draft a few weeks ago, said Community Development Director Randy Derifield, and now the document is ready for committee review. A meeting to start that process will be scheduled soon, according to chairman Kirke Machon, one of two aldermen serving on it. The other is Rich DiPietro.
A small flap emerged last week when committee member Judy Barclay said the committee members should have received a copy of the first draft along with the staff. But Aldermen Machon and DiPietro, along with city planner Carrie Davis, all said agreed-upon procedures have been followed in distribution of early Camiros drafts.
Officials have said that this project should be completed by the end of the year, including final city council approval. That will enable city officials to use it in its first big test, review of the proposals expected to arrive soon for redevelopment of the Executive Plaza area on the east edge of Uptown, at Northwest Highway and Washington Street.
"The rewrite will update the language, will align our standards more to the changing technology of construction and development, but will not take us in any new directions regarding zoning of land," Derifield said. "This rewrite does not give in to any builder or developer demands on anything, b t it does bring our standards more in line with emerging technologies and land use trends."
The city's zoning code has not been updated in more than 20 years, officials have said.