Lombard Park District's air rights block library's building plan

Lombard library officials are being forced to modify their plans for a new $22.3 million building after having an unexpected land dispute with the park district.

Voters in November approved a property tax rate increase for the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library so it could tear down and replace its existing building at 110 W. Maple St.

But the library can't build the two-story, 51,800-square-foot facility as originally designed because the Lombard Park District - which owns neighboring Lilacia Park - is refusing to give the library air rights.

Library officials said they believed before the referendum that the park district would be willing to negotiate.

But since November, talks between the park district and library haven't gone smoothly.

"They have rejected any of the plans that we have shown them," said Sue Wilsey, the library's communications manager. "They say they're concerned about the integrity of the park even though we've gone far above and beyond to make sure that we're keeping that integrity."

Instead of giving the library permission to build in space it owns, the park district is suggesting a land swap.

The park district wants the existing library land in exchange for providing an alternate site for the new library building.

"It's totally clear in my mind that they're making it difficult for negotiations because they really want a land swap," Library Trustee Gary Brenniman said during Tuesday night's library board meeting. "They want all of this property, and they want to put us someplace else."

The reason the library needs air rights from the park district dates back to 1978, when it acquired one acre of Lilacia Park so it could expand its first floor.

As part of that deal, the roof of the library addition was made into a plaza that overlooks the park. But while the library owns the plaza, the park district owns the air space above it.

Since that agreement was reached, park commissioners have opposed any plans by the library to put a taller building on the former park land. They argue it could take away from the beauty of Lilacia Park, which is the site of Lombard's annual Lilac Time festival.

"The park district has always taken the position that they (library officials) would need to construct their facility on their property," said Paul Friedrichs, the park district's executive director. "Lilacia Park is a special park that really connects our past to our present."

However, the park district can't provide a downtown site to the library. And library officials said they told voters that the library wouldn't move.

On Tuesday night, library trustees met with an architect to review how to build at the current site without obtaining the air rights.

The proposal calls for the building to have two floors on property the library entirely owns, including additional land it acquired to the west. Meanwhile, the future building would be one floor on land where the park district has air rights. The plaza deck also would be rebuilt.

Under the revised plan, the new building is expected to have about 52,000 square feet.

Negotiations still need to continue with the park district. That's because the library must get construction easements from the park district. The library this month is going to ask the park district to approve a memorandum of understanding on the project.