Turano Baking expanding Roosevelt parking lot

Will also allow for deliver y truck parking

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Turano Baking Company is extending its Oak Park footprint along Roosevelt Road After purchasing and then demolishing an old Salvation Ar my resale store in 2022, the company sought to convert the land for added parking.

Oak Park’s village board unanimously approved the bread purveyor’s parking request on Feb. 7, even permitting a zoning variance to allow Turano delivery trucks and vans to park in the Oak Park lot.

Oak Park zoning code prohibits the parking of vehicles associated with a building or use outside of the community, according to Village Planner Craig Failor Since

Turano’s manufacturing and delivery operation takes place in the Turano facility just across Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, parking trucks in the Oak Park lot would be a zoning violation. That re gulation has been in place since 2002.

“I don’t think it’s ever been challenged until now,” Failor said.

Eight spaces were requested to be used for overflow parking when no space is available at their Berwyn facility, where delivery vans and trucks are stored. The off-site trucks will not be used for daily deliveries. Turano also intends to put in solar paneled carports. The Plan Commission unanimously recommended recently that the village board both allow the parking lot expansion but also lift the restriction prohibiting truck parking. Village staf f recommended leaving the restriction in place. The village board ultimately sided with the commission.

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

For mer Oak Park trustee Simone Boutet, who spent much of her ter m spar ring with then-village president Anan Abu-Taleb, wants to reclaim her seat on the Oak Park village board and she’s got a list of reasons why.

“My biggest issue right no is the violence in the world and how do we provide safety for the community that is also consistent with progressive police values,” she said. “I really care about our police de par tment being the most progressive.”

Boutet was on the village board at the time it was deemed necessary to eng age an outside consultant to conduct an independent equity assessment of the Oak Park Police De partment, but her ter m ended before Ber ryDunn was chosen as the consulting fir m.

The final re port from the assessment, which was released in November, came with a slew of recommendations, from boosting the authority of the Citizen Police Oversight Commission to expanding the depar tment’s par tnership with mental health providers The oppor tunity to tur n recommendations into actions