Jefferson Park residents are debating whether to turn local parking lots into community green spaces.

At Chicago’s first “Parking Day,” an international event that started nearly a decade ago in San Francisco, local advocacy group Jefferson Park Forward took over three parking spaces on Gale Street Sept. 15. The group put in turf, pitched tents and played lawn games with interactive chalkboards to engage the community. 

Ryan Richter, Jefferson Park Forward’s president, said, “The purpose of [Parking Day] is to highlight [all] the ways in which the public spaces people take for granted every day—parking spaces in this case—could be put to [a variety of] different uses.” 

Before the event, Richter said the group checked with Ald. John Arena’s (45th Ward) office and local police to make sure everything was in order, and they were told it would be OK as long as they paid for the meters and were not obstructing traffic. However, because there were parked cars in the group’s reserved spots, they were forced to move up the block to the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Veterans Place, Richter added. 

Jefferson Park Forward estimates there are 21 underused areas of varying sizes in Jefferson Park, including the parking lots by the Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave., and the parking lot for Hoyne Bank, 4786 N. Milwaukee Ave. This has left some residents to wonder whether this land is well-utilized. 

“[It’s] a discussion that really needs to be had, and that was why we were out there to begin with,” Richter said. 

As the debate swells, Jefferson Park Forward has the backing of the neighborhoods Chamber President Brian Nadig. Nadig is considering working with Jefferson Park Forward to create more pedestrian-friendly areas, Richter said. 

Jefferson Park does have multiple major parks in the area for residents, including Jefferson Memorial, Wilson, Foster Austin and Durnham parks in the neighboring Portage Park community, said Owen Brugh, chief of staff and general counsel for Arena. 

“Unfortunately, at this point, we are a society that needs [to have]cars and places to put them,” Brugh said. “At the same time, quite a bit of our world has been turned over to automobiles.” 

Reginald Smith, 44, a Galewood resident and registered representative for Primary America Insurance, was conflicted over the debate but said more grassland and parks for families should always be considered. 

There are plans to add more private parking in Jefferson Park, according to Brugh, including a 114-unit building directly adjacent to the Jefferson Park Transit Center. The building will feature 200 parking spaces. Those spaces will serve the Copernicus Center—for concerts and events, an office across the street, and provide some parking for residents. 

“[Having more parking] can’t hurt,” said Ralph Abron, 60, a 13-year Jefferson Park resident and salesman at Kensington Research and Recovery. With two forest preserves in the neighborhood, he said there is enough room for families to have picnics and other outdoor activities. 

Michael Marshall, a full-time CTA bus driver for the Jefferson Park Transit Center, said it was unfair that parking could be taken away for potential grassy areas. 

“You can’t take away residential parking from people,” he said.