Residents gathered at the Clearing Branch Library last month to hear more about the future of the New Warsaw Restaurant property.
Paulina Zamora has proposed turning the former banquet hall at 6250 W. 63rd St. into a children’s daycare center.
At the Oct. 8 meeting of CAPS Beat 812, residents heard that Zamora, who runs a home daycare center in West Lawn and has more than 20 years experience, wants to expand her business and cater to more children. She has no name for the planned daycare center.
Many residents expressed their concerns about traffic, parking, security, and adequate lighting for the proposed location.
CAPS Beat 812 facilitator John Kurtovich had reached out to Zamora and her colleagues, asking if they’d return to the October meeting with a plan addressing many of the residents ‘ issues. She did, this time bringing along her husband and project manager Kim Stewart.
Mr. Zamora acknowledged there were some concerns regarding the parking lot and potential damage to the parking lot. He shared strategies that he said would be implemented to control traffic and make it safe for parents, employees, and residents.
“Imagining traffic in the parking lot is essential for safety, preventing congestion, and providing a positive experience for everybody,” he said. “Effective traffic control minimizes accidents and helps maximize spatialization. So, we’re estimating 24 parking spots. 16 around the perimeter and eight within the middle section of the parking lot.”
Other proposed safety measures include: clear signage, visible entry and exit signs, directional arrows painted onto the pavement to indicate traffic flow, one-way lanes for pick up and drop off circles, adequate lighting for nighttime, and sharing with parents the timed parking zones. Parents will have three to five minutes to pick up and drop off their children.
“Controlling traffic in the parking lot requires a combination of good design, clear communication, and effective management,” he said. “By implementing the strategies, the parking lot and parking spaces can create a safer, more efficient environment for everyone on the premises.”
Kim Stewart honed in on the importance of safety for residents, parents, and children. “Primarily, in a nutshell, we don’t need to utilize any street parking, and it won’t, as long as we have direction and signage, so that parents know, hey, you can come in this way, you circle around, and you go out this way.”
“These are small children being loaded and unloaded and walked across the parkway. So you really don’t want them coming across the street or trying to park on the street and walk up the block. So, it really is beneficial for both residents that live there, like we’ve been talking about the quality of life, but it’s also the highest level of security for a child and for their families, if they are maintained on the premises…”
They also plan to include security measures for the children’s safety with the inclusion of peerless fencing, lighting, and cameras.
Zamora said they were working with their architect and DCFS on identifying the proper size of windows and the amount of natural light necessary for the children.
The proposed hours of operation will be 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Paulina originally planned to be open to 9 p.m., but settled on 8 p.m. after discussion with community stakeholders and Ald. Marty Quinn (13th).
“From the alderman’s perspective, we are looking for nothing later than 8 p.m.,” Kurkovich said. “Granted, people get off from work at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and have to drive an hour to pick up their kids. 8 p.m. is not unrealistic, but we do not want traffic in the community area after 8 p.m.”
The New Warsaw Restaurant & Banquets property is zoned for a bar with a liquor license, which would have to be changed to turn the property into a children’s daycare.
Kurkovich asked if anyone opposed the notion of a daycare. There was unanimous agreement to move forward and make the New Warsaw property a children’s daycare.
Residents said they were more willing to have a new daycare than a bar.
An older gentleman said, “I was totally against the bar. These people are very professional, and I think it’ll be an asset.”
“They’ve been in business for over 20 years. DCFS has been watching and working with them for over 25 years. This isn’t a fly-by-night. This is a legitimate business coming, and I think it’s a much better use of the park than a bar in our community,” Kurkovich said.