La Grange Dispute Created Parking Confusion

LA GRANGE, IL – You may have been confused about whether you could park on a certain La Grange street. That's because of conflicting signs.

At one point, the village had a sign indicating that people could park in perpendicular spots along Washington Avenue, south of Cossitt Avenue, for up to four hours.

But the commercial property owner had signs informing drivers that the parking was private and that violators would be towed.

The owner even listed the Chicago towing company that would remove cars that the owner saw as illegally parked.

This week, the Village Board voted for a settlement with the property owner – Tadd Christensen, as trustee of the Beverly Christensen Trust. This ends a 5-year-old lawsuit that the village filed against the owner. Officials did not comment on the pact.

Before the agreement is executed, the property owner must remove all signs claiming control of the parking spots. The owner agreed to not interfere with any village signage.

The settlement also mandates the owner to follow codes for parking, including handicapped striping.

By September, the owner must remove all trucks and trailers stored in the parking lot on the west side of his Cossitt Avenue building. After that, the owner must bar his tenants from parking such vehicles in the lot.

The owner could not be reached for comment.