The parking spots along Park Avenue that downtown Glencoe's restaurants and shops depend on will come under formal review this fall.

Village Manager Phil Kiraly told the Glencoe Village Board on July 16 that the village and the Glencoe Park District are forming a joint task force to study parking and congestion around Glencoe Beach and Lakefront Park, located at 99 Park Ave. Applications for the nine-member resident panel are open through Friday, July 24, on both the village and park district websites.

"In response to continued review of the public concerns and questions that have come up over the last several months regarding parking and congestion around Glencoe Beach and Lakefront Park," Kiraly said at the meeting, the two bodies decided to act jointly.

The task force will be co-chaired by a village trustee and a Park District board commissioner, in addition to the nine resident seats. Once formed in August, the group will hold monthly public meetings at the Takiff Center from September through December, with a possible January 2027 session if needed. Any recommendations will be advisory; the Village Board keeps final say over parking changes, and the Park District retains authority over beach operations.

What drove this

Residents living near the beach have complained for months about beachgoers blocking driveways and fire hydrants, littering, and filling street parking. At the April 16 Village Board meeting, residents pushed for resident-only parking around the lakefront. The board responded by raising violation fines to $100 on Longwood Avenue, Hazel Avenue, Park Avenue, Beach Road, and Sheridan Road but declined to restrict access further after a lengthy May 21 discussion.

The task force will evaluate whether those 2026-season changes worked and will also review pedestrian safety along the beach access drive.

Business district context

The congestion zone overlaps directly with Glencoe's downtown business district. Lakefront Park sits at the eastern end of Park Avenue, the same corridor that anchors the village's shops and restaurants. The village's streetscape and parking study, adopted at the June 18 Village Board meeting, counts 405 on-street and village-lot spaces in the business district, plus 356 in Metra lots across Green Bay Road. That study notes parking availability in the district "has historically been challenging," with demand peaking midday Wednesday through Saturday.

No Park Avenue or Vernon Avenue business owner has publicly commented on the task force, and the Glencoe Chamber of Commerce has not issued a statement on the initiative.

What comes next

The beach itself will close for a major renovation starting Sept. 8, with updates to the playground, sun shelters, beach house, boardwalk, and boat storage expected to wrap in May 2027. That construction could ease summer parking pressure next year, but the task force's recommendations are due before the project finishes.