PALMER SQUARE — Neighbors are tangled up in a debate over how events should operate in newly-established Palmer Square Park, with some saying there should be strict limitations in place.
Others, however, say the limitations would only make the already-quiet park more sleepy and suggest that some proponents of the new rules are acting as if they own the public park.
The Homeowners Association of Palmer Square, made up of at least a dozen Palmer Boulevard residents, is behind a proposal that would significantly limit the types of events in the park if it were to win approval from the Chicago Park District.
The association is proposing that events take up no more than a third of the park, 2200 N. Kedzie Ave., and not be allowed to block the jogging path.
The proposed guidelines. [Provided]
Also under the proposal, events would only last a single day, there would be at least one day off between different events and event organizers would be required to implement a parking plan that includes securing nearby lots. After 7 p.m., events would not be allowed to exceed 70 decibels, the equivalent of the sound of a vacuum cleaner or the freeway from the edge of the pavement.
The proposal says that events must "have a purpose beyond simply alcohol sales" and be "beneficial to the community."
But some members of the Palmer Square Park Advisory Council and other neighbors argue the guidelines are unreasonable. They say the park is already struggling to attract quality events due to resistance from homeowners, and the limitations would only scare event organizers away.
"I get it. [The park] was a mess. [The homeowners] fought, they cleaned it up. But it's almost as if they want it to remain this stagnant piece of land. They don't want it moving forward," said Kevin Palmer, a longtime Palmer Square resident and vice president of the advisory council.
Palmer continued, saying, "What they see as stewardship seems to be almost proprietary, that [the park] is theirs and everyone else is borrowing it. ... It's not theirs. It's everyone's."
Some members of the park advisory council are also members of the homeowners association, like Mike Warner, who serves as council president.
"I'm hoping, because I think it's best for everybody, that we can reach a consensus that, if it doesn't make everyone completely happy, it is something everyone can live with," Warner said.
Still in very early stages, the proposal is a long way from reaching the Chicago Park District, which has the final say. Warner said the advisory council board of directors is planning to meet next week to dissect the proposal and make their own recommendations.
Palmer Square Park has only been an official Chicago Park District park since 2013, which is why preliminary conversations about the future of the park are happening now despite the land's century-plus history.
The land was established as part of the historic boulevard district back in the early 1870s. When mansions were built along the boulevard, the land was often used for strolling, carriage rides, and cycling, according to the Chicago Park District.
Prior to 2013, the seven-acre park was controlled by the city and treated like a median, according to Warner.
"The department of transportation would cut the grass, but that's about it," Warner said.
It was the city that signed off on Tour de Fat, a zany bike and beer festival that descended on Palmer Square Park every summer for more than a decade. For the first time in 18 years, the festival was held at Northerly Island this summer.
If the proposal wins approval, festivals like Tour de Fat likely won't have a chance of coming to the park. And neighbors like Palmer are concerned that other, more family-oriented events won't either.
"It seems like there could be more family-oriented events. There could be more things like the Taste Talks," Palmer said, referring to a one-day cookout planned for the park in October.
"If I were a newcomer in the area and I was bringing my kids here, I'd be wondering, 'Why isn't there more going on there?'"
