The residents of Hinsdale enjoy tree-lined streets, quiet neighborhoods, fine schools, and home-grown institutions, but the crown jewel of the Village is its traditional downtown. Hinsdale is west of Interstate 294 and has three commuter rail stations along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Metra rail line. The compact, walkable downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a noteworthy collection of independent owner-operated businesses.

Building on this valued community asset, CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program is now helping the Village develop parking management strategies to improve the livability and design of the downtown. According to the CMAP report "Parking Strategies to Support Livable Communities," parking impacts traffic congestion, as well as the environmental and financial health of the region. The parking management review will focus on managing parking to best support Hinsdale's business community while making it easier for visitors and shoppers to find parking. Once complete, the review will recommend policies to help the Village and its residents address identified parking problems. The review will cover a range of topics including but not limited to traffic congestion, costs, parking availability, and alternative transportation. It will identify and build upon the community's assets and identify ways to support regional goals from the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan.

The planning process will include three phases. The first phase will involve a thorough analysis of the existing conditions within the community using information gathered through one-on-one stakeholder interviews, steering committee meetings, review of previous studies, and collection of maps and data. Phase two will focus on creating strategies for Hinsdale's parking management review based on findings from the phase one analysis and a public workshop. The final phase will combine efforts from previous phases to create the parking management review document containing policies, programs, and action steps intended to help the community achieve the future vision.

Events

A business owners workshop to gather parking input and understand key parking concerns from a merchant's perspective was held on April 3, 2013.

The workshop attendees got the opportunity to listen to Mike Fox, a business and property owner in Oak Park, speak about how recent parking developments in Oak Park postively affected his business.

Lindsay Bayley, Senior Planner at CMAP, introduced the Hinsdale Innovative Parking Strategies project and presented on important background information.

 

Online Survey Opportunity

The Village of Hinsdale and CMAP are working together to undertake a process to evaluate the parking system in downtown Hinsdale, with the goal of improving the livability and vitality of the historic downtown. We invite you to share your thoughts on parking strategies and your priorities for Hinsdale by taking an on-line survey at www.hinsdale.metroquest.com. Click here to download and share the online survey with your friends and neighbors! 

Contacts

Timothy Scott, Village of Hinsdale, Director of Economic Development (tscott@villageofhinsdale.org or 630-789-7005)

Lindsay Bayley, CMAP Senior Planner
(lbayley@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8826)

Berenice Vallecillos, CMAP Outreach & Community Engagement Specialist (bvallecillos@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8623) 

Project News Coverage

Hinsdale Parking Evaluation Underway, Survey out, Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Patch, February 25, 2013

Hinsdale parking studied, TribLocal, March 19, 2013

Hinsdale studying downtown parking, again, The Doings Hinsdale, April 3, 2013

Parking meters are a good thing, The Doings Hinsdale, April 6, 2013