Des Plaines Park District awarded grant to buy park land

The Des Plaines Park District will be awarded grant money to pay for land at the site of a future park, officials said in a news release Tuesday.

The Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant will help the park district buy four vacant lots on the corner of Oakwood Avenue and Center Street. Purchasing open space to build new parks is challenging and expensive for the park district because the city is nearly fully developed.

The park district is in negotiations with the property owners.

"The Des Plaines Park District team is working hard to complete the acquisition of this property as soon as possible," said park district Executive Director Don Miletic.

"The residents of the area certainly deserve a park they can walk to, and we're looking forward to creating a space that everyone can enjoy."

The grant will pay for up to half the cost of the land, with a maximum amount of $330,000. For example, if the vacant lots are appraised at $600,000, the park district would receive $300,000. The appraisals values have not been finalized.

The park district would pay for designing and building the park. Preliminary designs show a park with a 5-foot-wide concrete walk, swings, a gazebo, a handicap-accessible play area, a basketball court and a turf area for pickup games.

"I am happy to see Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars awarded to the Des Plaines Park District," U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said in the news release. "These dollars will allow the park district to purchase land and create a neighborhood park in a densely populated area that needs greater access to outdoor park facilities."

The city and park district have been mulling ways to add park space in a city with dwindling real estate.

In December, the city council asked for changes to a proposal to implement impact fees, which would require residential developers to include green space in future developments or pay fees. Any fees paid would have to be spent on park land acquisition.