Elmhurst Parkland Spared For Now

ELMHURST, IL – A months-long campaign to protect the parkland on Elmhurst's east side appears to have worked – at least for now.

At a city meeting Monday, officials identified the sources of money for a new police station. Among them are the sale of a downtown property and increases in the property and hotel taxes.

However, the eastside land referred to as "green space" was removed from the list. It is between Schiller and Third streets, at the end of Second Street and Elmhurst Avenue.

The City Council's finance committee considered many options, including selling real estate, to pay for the estimated $48 million police station building.

At Monday's committee meeting, Alderman Rex Irby said he would like to further analyze the city's 33 properties, one of which is in Oak Brook, in paying for the station. Selling more of them, he said, would reduce the burden on property taxpayers.

Alderwoman Noel Talluto referred to the eastside parkland, which is in her Ward 4.

"I don't think there's a lot of appetite on this committee for putting the green space on that list right now," Talluto said.

Irby said he, too, had no desire to sell that land.

Committee members agreed to have the city provide them with an analysis of the other properties.

In January 2023, officials drafted a memo listing real estate it could sell, including the green space.

That prompted eastside residents to go to city meetings, asking officials not to sell the parkland. They said the land provided benefits to Elmhurst.

The property is the site of the old Elmhurst Hospital, given to the city nearly a half-century ago. A 50-year agreement to bar development on the land ends in April.

The city has made no long-term promises to preserve the parkland.

According to the 2023 memo, the city could sell the land for $5 million to $6 million.

The memo identified the best use for the land as 10 to 12 single-family homes. They would likely be valued at $1.5 million each, the city said.