A series of letters and public comments over the past two months show Oak Park residents building a specific argument for Trustee Jim Taglia's proposed single-family zoning referendum: the question of who decides should be evaluated separately from the merits of the zoning change itself.

The latest voice is resident Rhoda Bernstein, whose letter published Tuesday, July 7 in the Wednesday Journal, a local newspaper, frames the referendum as a governance question. "Whether one ultimately supports or opposes eliminating single-family zoning, Taglia's call for a referendum deserves to be evaluated on its own merits," Bernstein wrote.

According to Bernstein's letter, Taglia's proposed sequence would have voters weigh in only after consultant recommendations are reviewed, after the Plan Commission holds public hearings, and after the Village Board finishes its legislative work.

Earlier voices

Former Village Trustee Robert Milstein made a similar case in a June 30 letter to the Wednesday Journal, calling Taglia's referendum proposal "correct." Milstein argued the zoning change could affect density, traffic, parking, school enrollment, infrastructure, and property values for decades, and that decisions of that magnitude benefit from direct democratic legitimacy.

At the Tuesday, May 19 Village Board meeting, multiple residents echoed the call during public comment. One, identified in minutes as Frank V., described how living in a modest single-family home gave his working-class family stability and affordability, and urged that any major zoning change go to a voter referendum.

Counterpoint

Trustee Cory Wesley has argued that many of Oak Park's multifamily buildings were built before zoning laws restricted them, meaning current rules prevent recreating the neighborhood character some residents want to preserve. At the May 19 meeting, Wesley said increasing housing supply was essential for long-term affordability.

Milstein's June 30 letter attributes to Village President Vicki Scaman the position that the board was elected and is paid to make these decisions. No direct statement from Scaman on the referendum question was available in July sources.

Where the process stands

The zoning proposal remains in a multi-step review: consultant recommendations, then Plan Commission public hearings, then Village Board legislative action. No dates for the Plan Commission hearings have been announced. Taglia's referendum proposal has no formal mechanism on the table yet and would follow the board's completion of its legislative work.