Mundelein buying land next to station

Mundelein officials are buying land next to the police station so they have room if more parking or an expansion are desired in the future.

More space isn't currently needed for police activities, Trustee Ray Semple said, but "who knows what the village will need 10, 15 or 20 years from now."

Trustees voted this week to buy the vacant lot at 276 N. Seymour Ave. for $64,500. No one opposed the purchase. Trustee Jay Schedler was absent.

Semple called the price fair.

The 7,500-square-foot lot is on the north side of the police station, 221 N. Lake St., and next to a single-family house. The owner of the lot, John E. Johnson, approached the village and offered the land for sale, Semple said.

Village leaders initially wanted to buy the lot years ago before they built the police station but couldn't make a deal happen, Police Chief Raymond J. Rose said.

The station is in the heart of Mundelein's downtown area, a neighborhood village leaders have been trying to reshape and revitalize in recent years.

The town has bought other parcels in the downtown area, too, such as a former factory on Archer Avenue that borders a train station and the public works headquarters.

The Archer Avenue site initially was considered for a new village hall, but that plan was scrapped earlier this year.

The land purchased this week eventually could be used for municipal parking, too, Semple said. General parking spots might become valuable as the downtown redevelopment continues, he said.

"What we're doing is setting the stage for future village boards," Semple said. "It seemed prudent."