Prospect Heights library buying house next door for new parking lot

Visitors to the Prospect Heights Public Library may have more space to park in the future.

The library's board of trustees recently approved a contract to purchase a house at 100 N. Elm St., adjacent to the north side of the library, with plans to demolish the structure and replace it with a parking lot. The house sits on about .46 acres.

Alexander Todd, the library's executive director, said a new parking lot would curb the space issues the library has dealt with in its current parking lot.

"Over the last several years, we've noticed instances where our parking lot isn't able to accommodate all the visitors at the library," Todd said. "This would be an opportunity to expand what we're capable to do."

The new lot would give the library the ability to host multiple events at the same time, he added.

Todd said the library board first discussed purchasing the property about 15 years ago.

"If and when the residents decided to sell, we would want to be the ones to buy it," he said.

Todd said he could not estimate how much the parking lot would cost or how long it would take to build it.

"I don't expect it to take place in this construction season, but I couldn't really tell," Todd said. "Our first step is to make sure we have the property and then come up with the most economic way to construct it."

Because the purchase is still in the process of being approved by the site's owners, Todd did not release the proposed purchase price. The property's owners could not be reached for comment.