09/19/2026
🎃 HALLOWEEN STREET CLOSURES, PARKING & SAFETY UPDATE 🎃
Good evening, everyone! I wanted to provide an update on our Halloween planning, including the proposed street closures and expected parking concerns.
🚧 Street Closures
After speaking with Citizens Affairs and JPSO, I learned that closing the entrances at Oak Forest, Acadiana, Mill Creek and Village Court would require approval signatures from 75% of residents on the affected streets, including streets that would be blocked in by the closures.
With roughly 1,000 homes across the five subdivisions, we could need approximately 750–800 signatures. We would also need the permit approved in time to request JPSO details on October 1st, since Halloween details fill up quickly.
Unfortunately, collecting that many signatures in such a short period of time isn’t realistically possible.
🎃 Acadiana Closures
Because Acadiana experiences extremely large Halloween crowds, residents have raised concerns about the amount of vehicle traffic moving through streets filled with children and families. An incident involving a child and a vehicle last Halloween further highlighted the importance of taking reasonable precautions to improve pedestrian safety.
For that reason, I felt it was prudent to help the residents of Acadiana to pursue closures on several streets where the pedestrian traffic and safety concerns are greatest.
I’ve spent this week organizing the required information and signature packets, and 15 volunteers have stepped up to help collect signatures.
If enough signatures and donations for the required JPSO details are obtained, we will apply for the permit to close the proposed streets in Acadiana.
I understand this may not be the preferred option for some surrounding Oak Forest, Oak Ridge, and Acadian Villas residents, but given the requirements and time constraints, it is the most realistic option available to address the area with the largest concentration of children and pedestrians.
🚗 Parking & Emergency Access
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so we should expect a very large turnout and significant overflow parking in the neighborhoods surrounding Acadiana.
These are public streets, so we cannot prevent non-residents from legally parking. However, we should make sure our streets remain accessible to emergency vehicles.
Cars parked directly across from one another on narrow streets, or too close to corners, can make it difficult—or potentially impossible—for a fire truck or ambulance to get through.
We will be contacting JPSO and JPFD before Halloween to discuss emergency access and the proper procedure for reporting vehicles that block driveways, hydrants or make a roadway impassable.
We will also ask whether temporary parking restrictions can be implemented in areas where parking on both sides of the street could prevent emergency vehicles from safely passing, and what would be required to have those restrictions properly posted and enforced for Halloween.
Our goal is to address these concerns before Halloween, rather than discovering we have an emergency-access problem when someone actually needs police, fire or EMS
🏠 How Residents Can Help
If you’re having family or friends over, encourage them to arrive early, as parking will become more limited throughout the evening.
Please ask your guests to park legally and responsibly, avoid blocking driveways, fire hydrants, intersections or access points, and avoid parking directly across from another vehicle or too close to a corner, as this can significantly reduce the space available for vehicles to safely pass.
Most importantly, before parking, please consider:
🚒 Could a fire truck or ambulance still get through?
Our goal isn’t to prevent anyone from enjoying Halloween. We simply want our children, residents and visitors to have a fun and safe evening while making sure emergency responders can reach every home if they’re needed.
We will continue to update everyone as the plans come together. Thank you to all of the volunteers and residents helping us make Halloween safer for everyone! 🎃👻🚒🚑
