Update: On July 7th, the Village Board of Hinsdale approved the Innovative Parking Management Plan for further consideration by the Zoning and Public Safety Sub-Committee. Click download to view the final plan. 

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 public engagement. 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.

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 positively affected his business. CMAP and Village staff attended Uniquely Thursdays on June 27, 2013 with information about the plan and to gather community feedback. An online survey to gather input about existing issues and opportunities in Hinsdale from community members was available from February 19, 2013 to May 19, 2013. The Village of Hinsdale Innovative Parking Management Plan was approved by the Village Board on July 7, 2014 and was referred to the Zoning and Public Safety Committee to develop actionable items from the plan. 

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

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

Hinsdale parking studied, TribLocal, March 19, 2013

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

Suburbs walk a fine line on downtown parking rates, Chicago Tribune, December 22, 2013

Parking study aims to help village make the most of its downtown, The Hinsdalean, July 10, 2014

Hinsdale officials ready to make changes to downtown parking, The Doings Hinsdale, July 15, 2014

Study reveals daytime parking problems in downtown Hinsdale, MySuburbanLife.com, July 18, 2014

Parking changes planned for Hinsdale's Garfield lot, The Doings Oak Brook, August 4, 2014

Parking changes beginning in downtown Hisndale, MySuburbanLife.com, August 6, 2014

Rate hike to discourage employees from parking downtown, Chicago Tribune, October 14, 2014

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)