The Park Ridge Park District Board of Commissioners took its first official action Thursday night in response to residents who have petitioned the park district to buy a tree-filled property for use as a public park.
The board on April 19 voted to authorize Executive Director Gayle Mountcastle to begin negotiations with the seller of privately-owned property located at the northeast corner of Busse Highway and Shibley Avenue, leading to a “contract for the best possible deal.” That contract would be contingent on the passage of a referendum on the November ballot, according to the motion that was approved by the board.
If the board does decide to place a referendum on the ballot, it will need to approve a separate motion for that as well.
The .75-acre property, which consists of 15 mature oak trees and a vacant, two-story office building, has been referred to as “Shibley oaks” by residents who have advocated for the trees to be saved from potential development.
In March, a petition, reportedly signed by nearly 800 residents and asking the park district to “prioritize the purchase of the Shibley oaks property,” was presented to the board.
“If you could secure [the property] for perpetuity, I think you should,” Park Ridge resident Dan Natura told the board on April 19.
Only a handful of residents attended the meeting, but they applauded when the board unanimously approved the motion to move ahead with negotiating a sale contract.
Initially, Commissioner Robert Leach called for the park district to offer $750,000 for the property and set this amount for a referendum as well.
“I have no interest in overpaying for the property, given that three-quarters of the property has not been developed,” he said.
Leach later withdrew his motion in favor of language that did not specify a dollar amount. He did say that the park district could negotiate to buy just the property that is currently undeveloped.
An online listing for the entire property put the asking price at $2.2 million earlier this month, but it is now listed at $2.35 million, according to the site Loopnet.com.
The park district has obtained its own appraisal for the property, but officials have refused to publicly disclose the amount.
Mountcastle told the park board earlier this month that if the park district is to acquire the Shibley and Busse property, it will need to do so through “alternative funding,” such as grants, donations or a referendum authorizing an increase in property taxes. Mountcastle said funding is not available at this time due to other capital projects earmarked for the park district, including improvements at the Oakton Ice Arena and surrounding park.
Commissioner Jim O’Donnell expressed concern about the ability to pass a referendum and pointed out that Maine Township High School District 207 is considering a multi-million-dollar building referendum of its own.
“To get a referendum to pass is going to be more difficult than just getting signatures on a petition,” O’Donnell said, though he noted that the park district does not have the “spare change” to buy the Shibley and Busse site.
The park board on April 19 did express interest in the park district applying for a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant that could help pay for part of the Shibley and Busse land, but the grant would require matching funds and prevent the park district from even negotiating a sale price on the property unless a government waiver was obtained, Mountcastle said.
The board’s motion directing Mountcastle to negotiate a sale price included a provision that she apply for this waiver.
The recipient of the grant is typically announced in December or January, Mountcastle said.
Park Commissioner Harmony Harrington suggested that the park district create a “green space fund,” which would allow money to be saved for the purchase of future park property as it becomes available.
She was asked to put together more information on her proposal for discussion during the board’s next meeting, which is scheduled for May 3 at Prospect Park, 733 N. Prospect Ave.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
