March 08--Naperville is launching a pilot project that would allow overnight parking on some neighborhood streets, allowing families with teens and in town homes to breathe a sigh of relief.
The parking ban was originally put in place to deter crime, but city officials are responding to complaints, mainly from families with multiple drivers in the house and/or college students coming home on break, that don't have room for all cars in the driveway. Residents in town home communities also feel the crunch.
"We started to look for solutions in areas where we have a lot of people who are parking overnight," said Jennifer Louden, deputy director of Naperville's transportation, engineering and development department. "In a lot of areas there's just not enough parking off-street."
The current rule prohibiting overnight on-street parking between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. was passed in 1960, if not before, according to staff reports.
The Villages of Westglen tried overnight parking in September 2014, but not enough residents participated for the city to evaluate it, officials said.. As a result, staff this spring is trying again, this time at The Enclave at Country Lakes subdivision.
Under pilot program guidelines, residents can contact their homeowners' association for permits to display in cars parked on the street, Louden said. Cars still must be parked off the street if necessary for snow removal.
gbookwalter@tribpub.com
