The 20 acres of land a developer wants to set aside for for parks in the giant Thornwood development in South Elgin isn’t sufficient and the land is mostly unusable, according to a local Park District official.
James Breen, director of the St. Charles Park District, told the South Elgin Village Board that some of the proposed park property lies in a wetland, and most of the park sites are too small for active uses such as soccer and baseball.
The Village Board held a public hearing recently on the proposed Thornwood development. Plans for the project, which is expected to take 10 years to complete, include construction of nearly 1,400 single-family homes and townhouses along Randall Road between McDonald Road and Silver Glen Road.
The developer, Aurora Ventures, has proposed that South Elgin annex the property.
One of the issues is whether the park land in the development would be maintained entirely by the St. Charles Park District or partly by the South Elgin Recreation and Parks Department.
Noting his objections to the land being offered for parks, Breen said his district would like to see the developer set aside more than 50 acres of “high and dry” land for parks.
