Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 162
After decades of debates about parking solutions, years of negotiation between the village and District 181, months of construction - and a global pandemic thrown in for good measure - Hinsdale finally has a parking deck. The new facility on Garfield Avenue just south of First Street opened today, July 16. "We are very pleased with the outcome and very happy that we could provide this much-needed amenity to the village," village manager Kathleen Gargano said. Village...
“Bueller? Bueller?” The Zoom public hearing about a potential moratorium on the demolition of historic homes reminded us a little of the film classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” as Hinsdale Plan Commission Chairman Steve Cashman often had to repeatedly call out names of residents when it was their turn to give public comment. We certainly hope Zoom public hearings will soon be a thing of the past, but the format did give an unusually large number of people a voice in this debate. And we heard the same message over and over:...
A week before plan commissioners finished their deliberations on a proposed moratorium to stop the demolition of historic homes, Village President Tom Cauley presented a draft ordinance designed to help preserve such homes. The draft is actually a revision to Title 14 of the village code, which covers historic preservation. The new language offers several incentives to homeowners who want to renovate a historic home, including an exemption from floor-area ratio requirements (which regulate the size of a home relative to the...
Community Consolidated District 181 Among other business Monday, board members: • approved the three-year purchase of the Actively Learn digital curriculum platform for middle school language arts classes at a cost of $43,120. Actively Learn will be implemented during the 2020-21 school year after having been piloted at Hinsdale and Clarendon middle schools from January to March. Officials said the resource will support literacy instruction at the schools and provides pre-existing content and the ability for teachers to u...
The Hinsdale Community Pool is poised to open next week after village officials determined the potential loss in revenue from COVID-19 restrictions was outweighed by the community benefit the facility provides. Heather Bereckis, superintendent of parks and recreation, said June 22 is the target date for opening, provided all preparations have been completed. With Illinois under Phase 3 guidelines at least until June 26, the pool will be available only for swim clubs and lap swimming. If the state does move into Phase 4 next...
Historic Preservation Month typically comes and goes without controversy. Past commemorations have included coloring contests for kids and the presentation of awards from the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission. We’ve published everything from a single article or editorial to a month-long series reminding residents of the architectural treasures the village is fortunate to have within its boundaries. This year the discussion around historic preservation has reached a fevered pitch. Many preservations argue the only w...
Beep, beep, beep. Let’s back up a bit. Despite the media hype that might suggest otherwise, Hinsdale will not offer outdoor dining on its downtown streets in the near future. Village officials are not planning to violate Gov. JB Pritzker’s five-phase plan to Restore Illinois. What they are doing is starting a conversation about steps the village could take to expand restaurant capacity once eateries are allowed to reopen in phase 4. Many expect that won’t happen until the end of June at the earliest, but the time to plan is n...
To help village restaurants recover from the economic hardship wrought by COVID-19, Hinsdale officials are considering converting central business district streets this summer to al fresco dining corridors. At Tuesday night’s village board meeting, Village President Tom Cauley credited village manager Kathleen Gargano with, shortly before the meeting, floating the idea of shutting off First Street between Garfield Avenue and Washington Street to vehicle traffic so the area can instead be used for outdoor dining. This will e...
After a bit of delay due to COVID-19 hurdles, consideration of moratorium on demolitions of historic homes in Hinsdale is moving ahead. The village's plan commission is slated to schedule a public hearing on the matter at its meeting Thursday, May 13, with the hearing expected to be held at the group's June 10 meeting. The proposed six-month ban on demolition permits applies to homes within the Robbins Park Historic District and Central Business District properties as well as...
The village is downshifting its slate of 2020 road improvements amidst the economic uncertainty caused by coronavirus restrictions. But two of the most significant projects will proceed. At Tuesday night’s village board meeting, conducted via teleconference with only Village President Tom Cauley in the meeting room, Cauley said this year’s master infrastructure plan would be scaled back. “We’ve decided to defer all capital projects that can be deferred to conserve cash,” he said. But trustees held first readings on awarding...
Hinsdale Village Board Among other action at their meeting Tuesday, trustees: • agreed to waive a first reading and voted 6-0 to extend the purchase date for animal and vehicle licenses to June 15, which means no late fees will be charged until June 16. • listened as Village President Tom Cauley offered assurances that the village has enough cash on hand to operate during this economic downturn, even if it lasts another month or two. The village has kept a close eye on expenses over the years, he noted. “As a result of that,...
Interested in ordering a bottle of wine or six-pack of beer with your carryout order from a Hinsdale restaurant? You can, thanks to action Village President Tom Cauley took last week. The sale of beer and wine in original sealed containers will be allowed until April 17 or the expiration of Gov. JB Pritzker’s ban of on-site dining, whichever is sooner. The sale must be in conjunction with a food purchase. The move was prompted by a call that assistant village manager Brad Bloom received from a Hinsdale restaurant manager a...
Hinsdale trustees are aligned on the notion of steering central business district employees to the soon-to-be-completed parking deck. But they diverge on whether residents and nonresidents should have the same access to on-street parking. At a special village board meeting Monday, trustees conducted a first read of a proposal to convert the current metered spaces in the downtown to free three-hour parking (see map) and making the 189 spaces in the deck free for up to six...
In an effort to stem the teardown tide of historic homes in the village, officials are exploring ways to promote preservation. At Tuesday night's village board meeting, trustees discussed measures including a moratorium on demolitions after Village President Tom Cauley said 716 S. and 419 S. Oak St. were poised to be razed. Both sit in the National Register's Robbins Park Historic District in southeast Hinsdale. Cauley told trustees that the village's historic preservation com...
Hinsdale Village Board Among other business Tuesday, trustees: • voted 6-0 to increase the price of vehicle stickers from $40 to $48 as part of a comprehensive parking plan that will go into effect after the new parking deck at Hinsdale Middle School opens. The village is required to have the stickers ready for sale March 1, which is why the decision had to be made this month. Trustee Matt Posthuma said he would have liked to have all the components of the new parking plan in place before taking the vote. “I think it wou...
A DuPage County Circuit Court judge has prohibited new residents from moving into the Trinity Sober Living facility at 111 N. Grant St. Judge Brian Diamond issued a preliminary injunction Feb. 7, allowing only those individuals who resided at the property as of that date to remain. No new residents will be allowed until further order by the court. “The village is pleased that Judge Diamond ruled in favor of the village on this preliminary matter to avoid intensification of the use of the property during the pendency of the o...
Monday is Presidents Day, an occasion to celebrate locally, perhaps, with a stroll along Washington or Lincoln Streets - or any of the dozen other Hinsdale roadways named after past U.S. commanders in chief. The village, of course, has its own lineage of leadership. Whether one's a history buff or just a fan of the town that a 147-year evolution has produced, enjoy getting to know a little about the individuals who had a prominent hand in Hinsdale's story, courtesy in large pa...
Hinsdale Village Board Among other business Tuesday, trustees • agreed to spend $429,000 to Linblad Construction to pave the lower level of the new parking deck. Trustees initially planned to spend about $263,000 for asphalt in order to lower the cost of the deck. Village President Tom Cauley said there should be enough money in the $300,000 contingency fund to pay for the upgrade. “I don’t want to spend more money then we have to, but I think these funds are well spent,” he said. The item will be up for a vote at the Tue...
Trustees took a test drive Tuesday on a new parking plan for downtown Hinsdale that would go into effect after the parking deck opens in August. The deck at First Street and Garfield Avenue will add 189 spaces on the lower level, increasing the parking supply in downtown Hinsdale by 40 percent, Village President Tom Cauley said. The “3-6-8” plan would allow free parking up to three hours in the central business district and up to six hours in the deck and pay box parking for...
Hinsdale residents will have the chance to offer their input on a proposed senior living complex at a March public hearing before the Hinsdale Plan Commission. Trustees Tuesday referred to the commission the application for a $95 million senior living development on a portion of the IBLP property at 707 W. Ogden Ave. Ryan Companies wants to build Clarendale of Hinsdale Senior Residences, a 262-unit, 330,000-square-foot complex on about 17 acres north of Ogden and west of Adams Street. The developer is requesting a change in...
The Hinsdale Village Board signaled its support Tuesday for hiring a consultant to review any applications for 5G installation the village receives. Trustees are expected to approve a contract next month with MSA Municipal Services Associates, which will bill the village on a sliding scale depending on the type of application review necessary ($650 to $3,000). Any other services will be billed at $170. All costs will be covered by the applicant, noted Trustee Luke Stifflear. “State law provides that we pass that cost down t...
The village has received a $400,000 grant to help pay for renovations at the Hinsdale Community Pool. Staff learned Friday that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources had selected the village to receive a 2020 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant. The grant will provide almost a third of the needed funds to renovate and repair the aging pool. “I’m really excited that the IDNR saw this is a quality project,” said Heather Bereckis, superintendent of parks and recreation. “Everyone should have that opportu...
Next summer, the 319-space parking deck, adjacent to the new Hinsdale Middle School, will open. The parking deck should help solve parking problems that have plagued downtown Hinsdale for ages. The new parking deck should further energize our already thriving downtown. Currently - even before the new parking deck opens - we have one of Hinsdale's lowest retail vacancy rates at just 3.2 percent. The average vacancy rate in the Chicago area is above 10 percent. We have made...
The Hinsdale fire department rigged up sound and lights to provide Santa with a comfortable and musical ride into the village during the Christmas Walk Friday night. With hundreds of children on hand to greet him, Santa was lowered to the ground and joined Village President Tom Cauley at the Memorial Building to officially light the Christmas tree. Please turn to Page 16 for more pictures....
The Land Rover and Jaguar dealership in Hinsdale opened for business at its new 336 E. Ogden Ave. site last week, but neighboring residents and village officials say items related to the project still need to be completed. At Tuesday’s village board meeting, Village President Tom Cauley used his president’s report to address residents’ concerns about the absence of landscaping that the Bill Jacobs dealership agreed to install on the east side of the property facing Oak Street. “The ordinance that we passed called for eight-f...
