Rolling Meadows wants to buy house behind city hall, expand police parking lot

Rolling Meadows officials have offered $300,000 to buy a house behind city hall to expand the crowded police department parking lot.

Aldermen unanimously voted this week to ink the residential real estate contract for the 0.278-acre property with one-story home and driveway on Owl Lane.

The house sits just on the other side of the fence from the police lot, which has some two dozen spaces and a garage.

Acquiring the property would allow easier vehicle access and traffic flow for the police department, said Alderman Kevin O'Brien, who represents Ward 3, where city hall and the house are located.

Currently, some of the department's larger vehicles deal with especially tight turns and often have to go in reverse to fit into spaces, O'Brien said.

The additional space will also provide more room for storage, he added.

There are currently no plans to expand city hall, though it's always possible in the future, he said.

Now that the city council has approved the contract, City Attorney Melissa Wolf said a closing would be scheduled to finalize the purchase.