Businesses in Old Morton are in for some welcome changes.
The Morton Village Board approved an ordinance Monday during a meeting at Freedom Hall that would wave existing parking requirements within the district.
Village board trustee Stephen Newhouse said he hopes the amended ordinance could alleviate a common concern among potential business owners within the downtown district — adding ample parking spaces to satisfy the village’s requirements.
The amendment only affects properties with business zoning and excludes residential properties within the Old Morton district — which spans from areas between Jackson Street and Washington Street downtown.
“There was a lot of debate about this,” Newhouse said. “We feel there is relatively little risk.”
Newhouse said similar exemptions were made in Washington to satisfy parking concerns within the Washington Square.
“If placing a business, you have to have a certain number of spaces depending on what the business is,” Newhouse said after the meeting. “The village has been pretty rigid about that.”
He considered the amendment the first step in adjusting specific zoning requirements “that will be aimed at assuring vitality in the downtown business district.”
Downtown parking has long been a concern among village officials who have been looking for additional parking spots to add to the downtown district. The village is still considering adding a municipal parking lot somewhere downtown, but that has yet to be determined, Newhouse said.
“It has been a subject of discussion,” he said. “There are options.”
The existing parking requirement posed challenges to potential business owners when considering occupying a downtown business.
“I don’t know to what extent it has been a deterrent,” Newhouse said. “Clearly, it can be.”
The new parking requirement exemptions were created to remove the long standing obstacle within downtown Morton. Newhouse said he does not expect the exemptions will cause an overflow of parking along the streets.
“It’s rare for all (street parking) to be occupied at the same time,” he said.
Other business
In other business, the Morton Village Board:
• approved a 3-year contract with electricity supplier Sempra, based in San Diego, that will begin Jan. 1. The new contract will save the village about $100,000 a year compared to the current contract with the same supplier, public works director Bob Wraight said.
The village purchases 5 million kilowatts per hour from Sempra at a rate of about 6 cents per kilowatt hour. The new contract will cost about 4 cents per kilowatt hour.
• revoked an ordinance adopting a franchise agreement with fiber communications company Omnilec (iTV-3). Morton Mayor Norm Durflinger said the village will likely enter into a different agreement in the near future.
