W E D N E S D A Y
September 18, 2019 Vol. 39, No. 7 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
CONNECTS tackles inclusion
River Forest Park District weighs YMCA plans
Special Shabbat Rabbi Adir Glick of West Suburban Temple Har Zion Synagogue in River Forest leads the pet-friendly musical Shabbat service on Sept. 13 in Austin Gardens in Oak Park. For more photos, visit online at OakPark.com.
West Cook Y looking for local agency to kick in $3 million By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
West Cook YMCA is reaching out to the River Forest Park District to see if it might be willing to contribute money and work as a partner to build a second location in Melrose Park. With the park district looking to expand programming, but lacking land and facilities to do that, the agency has been talking with several governing bodies and nonprofits about the possibility of pooling money to either expand the existing River Forest Community Center, 8020 W. Madison St., replace it with a new building or build a new recreation center elsewhere in River Forest. The village of River Forest is currently working on a feasibility study to look at the programming needs of the organizations involved, how much all three options would cost and what exactly the three options would look like. During its Sept. 9 meeting, the River Forest park board agreed that it wasn’t ready to decide whether to take the YMCA up on its offer until that study is complete. The board also wants to get more details as to what the YMCA is offering. In April 2019, West Cook YMCA announced it was looking to open a second location at the vacant former Menards store at 8311 W. North Ave. See YMCA on page 14
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ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Oak Park green lights cannabis Dispensaries allowed as a permitted use in the village
By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
Recreational cannabis dispensary owners, who will begin opening shops across the state next year, will have few hurdles from the Village of Oak Park, following a recent decision from the Oak Park village board. The board, in a split vote at its Sept. 16 meeting, rejected a recommendation by the Plan Commission to make the dispensaries a so-called special use in the
zoning code, which would have required dispensary owners to present their plans to the public and get approval from the board of trustees. Trustees voted 4-3 to make the business type a permitted use, which requires no specific approval by the board or public hearing. The yes votes were cast by Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb and trustees Deno Andrews, Dan Moroney and Arti Walker-Peddakotla, while the dissenting votes came from Susan Buchanan, Simone Boutet and Jim Taglia.
The issue was first presented to the Oak Park Plan Commission, which unanimously rejected a recommendation from village staff to make the dispensaries a permitted use. If the board had made the dispensaries a special use, owners would have had to present their business plan to either the Plan Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals – the two bodies would have shared the responsibility – and given the public See CANNABIS on page 14
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