Oak Park shoppers, and maybe more importantly downtown Oak Park business owners, can breathe a sigh of relief — at least for another month. The village has reversed its decision to shut down village-owned surface parking lots near Lake and Harlem prior to the holiday shopping season.
On Nov. 3, village officials said the parking lots would be closed in mid-November so construction could begin on the massive mixed-use development dubbed Oak Park Station. Parkers would have been directed to the nearby Holley Court parking garage.
Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb said in an interview that the village will keep the surface lots open during the shopping season “to give businesses the certainty they need for the holiday season.”