Title/Name/Summary
New Entrance for Park Station Boulevard Commuter Parking Lot - 15608 Park Station Blvd
History
Project: New Entrance for Park Station Boulevard Commuter Parking Lot
Petitioner: Public Works Department, Village of Orland Park
Project Representative: Jack Neven, Street Operations Manager, Village of Orland Park
Purpose: The applicant seeks approval of a new driveway access point to the 153rd Street West Parking Lot.
Address: 15608 Park Station Boulevard, Orland Park, IL 60462
P.I.N.: 27-17-201-017-0000, 27-17-401-008-0000
Parcel Size: 6.7-acre parcel
BACKGROUND
Centennial Park West currently serves as the home of the Village’s annual summer concert series that draws thousands of visitors from surrounding communities in the Chicagoland area. The current construction of a permanent outdoor amphitheater will not only accommodate the increasing popularity of large-scale concerts and cultural events such as the Taste of Orland Park, but it will also increase the venue capacity to up to 4,000 people. The site will include 20 food vendor pads with supply paths to support an all-day type of event. When not scheduled for Village use, Centennial Park West will provide passive open space and trails for residents, as well as be available for rental.
Site Plan
The proposed project involves establishing a secondary entrance to the parking lot along Jillian Road. This initiative is prompted by the anticipated surge in events and vehicular traffic accompanying the development of Centennial Park West. The proposal is in accordance with the original 2005 approval for the Metra parking lot, which outlined plans for the gradual introduction of a second driveway entrance and increase in total parking spaces. This phased implementation strategy is designed to synchronize with potential expansions of the parking lot to accommodate heightened demand over time.
The original parking lot expansion project proposed extending the center drive aisle east of the water tower to Jillian Road. Due to the lack of Metra Ridership post-pandemic and excess parking available on both sides of the Metra tracks, no new parking spaces are necessary or proposed at this time. Because no new parking is proposed, the applicant seeks to expand the westernmost north-south drive aisle to Jillian Road. If new parking is proposed in the future based upon the original approved plans, the parking lot will be required to match the original 2005 Board approved expansion plans including removing the driveway access proposed with this application (Legistar File Number 2005-0060).
Vehicular Mobility
Centennial Park West will have primary vehicular access from Park Station Boulevard, a two-lane north-south thoroughfare that borders Centennial Park West and the adjacent subdivision Colette Highlands Townhomes. It terminates at the 153rd Street Metra parking lot (west) and 159th Street to the south. The Village and Metra will continue coordination regarding usage of the Metra parking lot, similar to what the Village currently does for events at Centennial Park West. The Centennial Park West current use has demonstrated experience in managing traffic for events currently programmed. The traffic management plan within the Traffic Impact Study details the event signage, barricades, and locations of traffic control personnel, building on the existing plan already in place.
The Traffic and Parking Study for Centennial Park West from KLOA (Kenig, Lidgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc.) dated March 2, 2023, indicates that a second driveway should be considered into the parking lot:
Consideration should be given to extending the drive aisle at the northwest corner of the Metra west lots to Park Station Boulevard opposite Jillian Road. This second means of access will improve the efficiency of loading and unloading the parking lots while reducing the potential for vehicular-pedestrian conflicts near the CWP event venue.
Landscaping
The current parking lot contains landscaping to screen the perimeter of the lot from adjacent residential land uses and rights-of-way. Currently, landscaping was only planted in areas of the parcel that have been developed for parking. The vacant, undeveloped portion of the parcel contains non-code compliant greenery. In order to conform with Land Development Code Section 6-305 Landscape and Tree Preservation, at least 1 shade tree and 1 ornamental or evergreen tree is required for a type 1 landscape corridor between the parking lot and the right-of-way on Park Station Boulevard (Section 6-305.D.3.b). Trees should be selected through the recommended plant species list in Section 6-305.G.
Recommended Action/Motion
The appearance review for a New Entrance for Park Station Boulevard Commuter Parking Lot, case number 2024-0279, as shown on the site plan titled “Centennial West Park New Entrance Layout” has been administratively approved on April 2, 2024, subject to the following conditions:
1. Meet all building code related items.
2. The development will be in substantial conformance with the site plan site plan titled “Centennial West Park New Entrance Layout” attached to this case file.
3. At least 1 shade tree and 1 ornamental or evergreen tree is added between the new drive aisle and Park Station Boulevard.
4. A striped crosswalk is added at the new driveway entrance.
5. If more parking is added to the 153rd Street commuter parking lot, the driveway will need to be reconfigured to be in substantial compliance with the original plan “153rd Street Commuter Station Parking Expansion” last revised April 6, 2005.