Passive park being built at Vernon Hills Town Center
A touch of green is in the works for a vacant spot next to Vernon Hills Town Center retail area at the village's southeast entry.
The installation of walkways and other elements is underway for a small, passive park between Town Center Drive and Route 45.
Village officials recently approved contracts for concrete work not to exceed $45,000 and earthwork, landscaping and installation of a table, planter, pergola and benches not to exceed $170,943 for Park at Town Center.
A passive park on the site has been envisioned since December 2021, when the village accepted the irregularly shaped Lot 4 and a one-time $25,000 donation from Taxman Corp., developer of Vernon Hills Town Center.
The intent was to enhance the vacant and underutilized parcel and help improve the overall quality and value of the Town Center, according to village documents.
The village will be required to maintain the park but no longer required to contribute toward the maintenance of the Town Center common area or detention pond. The park was designed to use low-maintenance materials such as concrete walkways.
"We always had the plan of building a park here," said Chris Venatta, public works director and village engineer. "The construction of the park is what triggers the removal of the village from that agreement."
To get the park done this season, competitive bidding was waived and proposals sought from six contractors for the concrete work and 13 contractors for the earth work and landscaping.
Village Trustee Nancy Forster says on several occasions she has seen people sitting in lawn chairs in the empty lot.
"It's way nicer," she said of the park.
Town Center, located at the northwest corner of routes 45 and 21, includes an adjoining apartment complex, also developed by Taxman. The area was designated a tax increment financing district in 2003.
In that setup, increased property taxes generated by development are placed into a special fund to pay for roads, utilities, land acquisition and other improvements within the TIF district.
The park work is funded from the Town Center TIF fund.