The response was mixed among community members who attended an open house Wednesday, June 24, to discuss the possibility of converting the underused south commuter parking lot in Flossmoor to a park, with some people expressing enthusiasm for the project and others saying they are concerned about the loss of parking capacity downtown.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted work and commuting routines in 2020, Flossmoor’s south commuter parking lot has been significantly underused, according to village officials. Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said the lot, which has 206 parking spots, currently has only about 30 cars parked there on a peak day.

The village, in partnership with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, is exploring possible new uses for the property. The open house provided some examples of park uses and gathered reactions and ideas from residents.

Representatives of Upland Design, a consulting firm the park district has worked with on similar projects, were on hand to discuss the possible new uses. The park district provided four posters to give residents an range of options to consider.

One poster showed an aerial view of the parking lot with the majority of the space devoted to a new park and a small section — about 35 spaces — continuing as parking area.

The park district plans to submit a grant application to the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development program, due by Aug. 31. Residents who attended the open house were invited to fill out surveys to express their views on the best use of the land.

Those survey responses will help shape the proposal that will be included in the grant application, according to Doug Boehm, park district executive director. He said if past experience is an indication, the district could receive a response to the grant application by early December.

The survey asks residents to first prioritize uses they would like to see included in the space: a play area, a music sensory garden, a spray fountain or mist area, a shade feature, a gathering space, a bandshell with flexible gathering space or none of those.

The posters at the meeting and in the online survey included examples of each use in the list. The survey asks residents to note their favorites among the examples.

Boehm said the park district is always looking for creative ideas to serve Flossmoor, which has fewer parks than Homewood. Although the district’s largest park is just across the railroad tracks to the east, Flossmoor doesn’t have a place designed to hold events, he said.

The community input will help village and park district staff craft a plan, but whether the project becomes a reality is still uncertain.

“There are no guarantees,” Boehm said. “It all depends on the success of the grant.”

What people liked

One of the ideas that seemed to have some traction among residents at the meeting was creating a park designed to be a gathering place, including a band shell to enable performing arts.

Flossmoor has tested the south lot as an event venue in recent years, holding the 2024 and 2025 Oaktoberfests there and, more recently, the H-F Juneteenth block party.

The band shell was the idea that stood out for park district board member Deb Dennison.

Several members of South Suburbs for Greenspace, a local environmental advocacy group, were at the meeting, and liked the idea of replacing much of the asphalt with more greenery.

“It would be nice to see sculptures there,” SSG founder Liz Varmecky said.

“Perhaps a water feature,” Hilary Pries said, noting that it could be something beautiful but also a place for kids to play.

They both thought the project would be an opportunity to feature native plants and trees, which tend to be more resilient and can help reduce flooding problems.

“That could shift our idea of what is beautiful and sustainable,” Pries said.

Leonard Harris agreed with them about the water feature idea. He said the image of fountains caught his eye.

“I love fountains,” he said “I love the sound of water. It’s relaxing, calming.”

Nancy Burrows liked the idea of incorporating art into the project. She’s the chairwoman of the village’s Public Art Commission, which supports and curates the village’s sculpture collection. She said the commission is always looking for opportunities to work with schools on art education, and the park could provide a new opportunity to do so.

Concerns over parking, revenue

A number of residents questioned the proposed loss of parking spots near downtown businesses and adjacent residential buildings.

Barb Karstrom said the elimination of parking to develop a new amenity could create a new parking problem.

“What a beautiful idea to have a band shell or somewhere to have concerts,” she said. “And where are you going to park (during events)?”

Jeffrey Lippert said the land could be put to better use as a site for a residential development, which would do more to support the local economy and village finances.

“I think that what we’re doing across the street with the town houses, we could easily do that over here also,” he said, referring to a proposed residential development on Flossmoor Road just west of downtown. “You know, it’s not like we’re flushed with money.”