An expanded historic district overlay for Parkridge passed City Council 6-3 on first reading Nov. 7, but it is likely to be tabled tonight following Mayor Madeline Rogero’s call for the council to do just that.
Anticipating the tabling, council member Nick Della Volpe is offering an emergency resolution to impose a 120-day moratorium on demolition permits for the area while further study is underway.
Council meets today at 6 p.m. in the main assembly room of the City County Building. Della Volpe posted his proposed resolution on the council’s online forum on Monday.
Della Volpe, Daniel Brown and Nick Pavlis were council’s no votes initially, and the issue was sharply divisive in the recent city council election, with Jennifer Montgomery generally favoring the overlay while her opponent, Gwen McKenzie, wanted more citizen input. McKenzie won.
Della Volpe said a 120-day moratorium will allow time for study and a public hearing. His resolution describes the area as “property bounded generally by or located on East Glenwood Avenue from I-40 to Spruce Street; Washington Avenue from the Standard Knitting Mill Complex to N. Chestnut Street; Jefferson, Woodbine, and E. Fifth Avenue; and from the Standard Knitting Mill Complex to N. Cherry Street.”
Rogero issued a statement Nov. 14 saying she and members of the council are “uncomfortable with the continued level of distrust and disagreement among different factions in the Parkridge neighborhood on the value and benefits of the proposed H-1 expansion.”
When an agenda item is tabled, it can be added to a future agenda only with a majority vote of city council and adequate public notice.
