Joliet neighbors’ dispute with Supermercado hits boiling point

A long-simmering clash between neighbors and a corner grocery store in Joliet is starting to boil over.

Four residents came to the Joliet City Council meeting on Tuesday to demand that the city take action on parking overflow, traffic problems and driving hazards that they connect to the Carnitas Don Jose y Supermercado on Ruby Street.

One brought a car fender from a recent accident to the meeting to emphasize their point.

A store owner contends the grocery has a friendly relationship with most of the neighbors and is trying to ward off a proposed ban on non-residential parking on Cora Street, the residential street that runs up to the store, while finding additional parking.

City officials, meanwhile, say something should be done but they’re not sure what.

“This has been for over four years now that we’ve fought this,” Cora Street resident Susan Vanlandingham told the council on Tuesday.

Vanlandingham and the others at the council meeting said store employees and shoppers park along Cora Street, taking away parking from residents on weekends when the store, which also sells carry-out food, is at its busiest.

“It’s very difficult for residents to park out there because of the store,” said Georgene Williams.

Williams brought the fender to the meeting, saying it was from a recent accident that she attributed to the amount of traffic at Carnitas Don Jose y Supermercado.

“Someone is going to get killed because of traffic at the store,” Williams said.

Artemio Reyes, one of three store owners, has his own frustrations.

He said Williams “constantly complains that the police aren’t giving tickets. This past Sunday she was there making sure they were giving tickets.”

Parking is banned on one side of the 800 block of Cora Street that runs north of the store. Residents say they call police on weekends when the store is busiest and vehicles line the no-parking side of the street, but police don’t ticket.

Reyes said he is in the process of trying to buy nearby property to create additional parking beyond the small lot at the store.

“We’re asking for time,” Reyes said Wednesday.

City officials appear inclined to give the store time.

A proposal to ban non-residential parking in the 800 block of Cora Street was to go to the City Council for a vote on Tuesday but was not on the agenda.

“It was taken off because the owner of the grocery store said he was going to work out additional parking,” City Manager James Capparelli told the council.

The proposed parking ban had been recommended for approval by the city’s Plan Commission. But Capparelli said another ban will lead to more calls for police to issue tickets, and there aren’t enough police to deal with the problem.

“We’re trying to get to an accommodation here,” he said.

His explanation that there aren’t enough police to deal with the ticket complaints did not go well with the residents.

“To me, that is just a cop out when it comes to the safety of our residents,” Vanlandingham said.

Reyes said complaints are coming only from the four women who appeared at the council. But Vanlandingham said there have been two petitions signed by most of the residents on the block over the parking issue.

A petition taken to the Plan Commission in support of the non-residential parking ban had signatures from 20 residents at 13 houses.

Council members who spoke on the matter indicted that they were not inclined to support a non-resident parking ban.

“I think we can’t punish a small business for doing well for itself,” Council Member Cesar Guerrero said, noting that other streets in the city face similar issues.

Guerrero acknowledged “valid safety concerns,” but indicated he would not support a non-resident parking ban. “I just don’t know that this is the best way forward,” he said.