advertisement

Kane forest preserve targets next land purchase

A tract of land that would provide a long-coveted connection between the Dick Young and Lake Run Forest Preserves near Batavia and Blackberry Township may be the next purchase the Kane County Forest Preserve District announces Tuesday.

Voters gave the district about $30 million to add more open space via a referendum last spring. Three previous land purchases in recent months have already added more than 420 acres of new open space at a total cost of about $7.9 million.

That left enough wiggle room for forest preserve commissioners on the Executive Committee to greenlight discussions for property owned by the Oliver Hoffmann Co. The exact size and potential price for the land has not been made public, but the idea to purchase the land to connect existing trails fits in the with the expressed intentions for the referendum money.

Local residents may recognize Oliver Hoffmann for the communities it's built in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Sugar Grove, Naperville and Oswego.

This purchase may be a little more difficult for the district than others because it will be predicated on reaching an agreement with the homeowners' association.

Commissioner Deb Allan, who's been on the forest preserve board for about nine years, said this potential purchase would scratch off an item that's been on the district's to-do list for too long.

β€œIn the time I've been here, this connection has been one of the top items we've tried to accomplish,” Allan said. β€œI'm encouraged to see staff so close to making it happen.”

How Kane will spend forest dollars

Kane County Forest Preserve adds 2 parcels

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.