Glencoe taking steps to respond to state’s new parking law

Glencoe officials took the first step in their attempt to mitigate a new state law that Village staff believe could hinder the town’s development.

Trustees during their Jan. 15 meeting decided to have zoning commissioners review a possible zoning code change to nonresidential uses in residential districts.

The impetus behind the move is a new state law that will prohibit local governments, like the Village of Glencoe, from imposing off-street parking requirements on development projects within one-half mile of a public transportation hub.

Metra stations are included as hubs, meaning nearly all of Glencoe would be impacted by the new law given the town’s proximity to three stations: Glencoe’s, the Hubbard Woods stop in Winnetka and the southernmost station in Highland Park (Braeside).

The new law is slated to go into effect in June of this year, said Taylor Baxter, Glencoe’s development services director, during the Village Board’s first session of 2026.

Per Baxter, the Village currently allows some nonresidential uses in Glencoe’s residential districts by right, meaning those uses do not require variations or other reliefs. Those are primarily, per village code, for places of worship, parks, schools and golf clubs.

The concern, Baxter told the board, is that the new law will “limit the village’s ability to guide development and mitigate impact from traffic, parking, drop-off, circulation and things like that.”

Approval from the board sends the matter to Glencoe’s Zoning Commission for a public hearing and consideration whether some or all of the uses that are currently permitted in residential zoning districts should in the future be required to go through Glencoe’s special-use permit process.

Additionally, per village documents, the commission will consider other zoning code amendments related to “mitigating negative impacts of non-residential uses as determined to be appropriate.”

The topic will then make its way back to the Village Board for final action after the zoning commission’s review.

“We love our state legislature but Glencoe is a tiny place and most of Glencoe is covered by this new state law, including a lot of our residential districts, so we have to think about how to respond appropriately,” Village president Howard Roin said.

“It seems to me a no-brainer to follow staff’s advice and refer this to the zoning commission,” Roin concluded.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.