A Big Hurdle For Sidewalks In Hinsdale?

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale is considering a policy that would require unanimous neighbor backing for a sidewalk before the village builds it.

"If one resident on the street objects, the sidewalk doesn't get approved," Trustee Neale Byrnes said at Tuesday's Village Board meeting.

He noted that sidewalks can be controversial in town, with residents expressing concerns over the impacts on trees and other landscaping along streets.

In recent years, battles over sidewalks in Elmhurst and Western Springs have divided neighbors.

In a memo this week, Hinsdale officials said they were looking to replace sidewalk policies from 2002 and 2010.

Under the proposed policy, Hinsdale may pay for all or half of a sidewalk project, depending on the village's master plan map.

The memo said the village does not intend to mandate sidewalks and that new sidewalks should be considered incrementally with a "flexible and balanced approach."

Hinsdale appears to differ from Elmhurst's approach to sidewalks.

In February, the Elmhurst City Council enacted a 40-year plan for adding sidewalks along every street in town. When the city pays for the entire project, neighbor support is not a factor in the city's decision.

Under another Elmhurst policy, a neighborhood can get sidewalks ahead of the city's timeline by covering a quarter of the cost.

Such a project would require a simple majority of neighbors' backing. Before last year, the threshold for neighbor support was 60 percent.