Parks Under Siege
Chicago’s Parks Lose Public Park Space to Other City Agencies for Non-Park Use
In just the last two years, the Park District Board of Commissioners has approved the transfer of three publicly owned parks to the Chicago Public Schools for new school construction and a portion of two parks to the City’s Department of Aging for the construction of two senior citizen centers.
In all cases, Friends of the Parks opposed the transfer of parkland. However, the Board of Commissioners did not serve to protect these lands, but approved the transfers. In the case of Warren Park, Friends of the Parks was able to hold off the senior center because of a land covenant from the State of Illinois that insures that Warren Park must forever be used for park and recreation purposes.
The other land grabs include:
Lincoln Park
On October 24, 2006 the Park District Board of Commissioners approved the long-term lease of approximately 3 acres of Lincoln Park to the private Latin School to allow the school to construct an artificial turf soccer field. No one in the community was aware that the Park District was even considering leasing public land to a private school since the same project was overwhelmingly opposed in public hearings in 2004.
However, with the Board’s approval, construction of the Latin School soccer field began in 2007. In 2008 a group called Protect Our Parks filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court of Cook County.
The Circuit Court ruled, and the Court of Appeals reaffirmed, that the Park District violated the Public Trust by the deal with the Latin School. Following the ruling, the Park District changed course and applied to the Chicago Plan Commission to complete the construction of the soccer field as a public soccer field using public dollars. The Plan Commission approved the project on August 21, 2008 and the soccer field was completed in late 2008.
Park #484
On March 12, 2008, the Chicago Board of Commissioners approved the lease of park district property Park #484 at 4701 West 67th Street to the Board of Education for the new Hurley Elementary School. Park #484 consists of 10 acres in the West Lawn Community Area. Construction of the school has begun in the 13th Ward.
Rosenblum Park
On March 12, 2008, the Board of Commissioners approved the construction of a new South Shore High School on Rosenblum Park. The existing South Shore High School is currently located on the west side of Rosenblum Park, but in order to keep the school open while the new school is being built on the east side of the park, the Park Board approved the transfer of parkland to the Board of Education. Rosenblum Park, a park of 10.84 acres, is located at 8050 So. Chappel in the South Shore neighborhood. The Board of Education will transfer an adjacent parcel on 7th Street and Constance to the Park District for Rosenblum Park after the construction of the school is completed.
Norwood Park
On July 9, 2008 the Board of Commissioners approved the lease of a portion of the 3-acre Norwood Park, 5801 N. Natoma, to the Department of Aging for the construction of a Senior Citizen Center.
The Department of Aging did not purchase land off park site for the new senior’s center, and, instead, looked to the Park District for “free land.” While Senior Centers are appropriate for neighborhoods, the Department of Aging should purchase land or construct the centers on City-owned vacant land, and not on limited parkland.
Warren Park
The Department of Aging has proposed the construction of a Senior Center in Warren Park, 6601 N. Western. When the proposal was announced, Friends of the Parks, the Warren Park Advisory Council and other community organizations in West Rogers Park organized a press conference denouncing the plan. Fortunately, we were aware that Warren Park land deed carries with it special protections that run with the deed.
The two legal covenants include:
- with Illinois Department of Natural Resources and
- with U.S. Department of Housing stipulate that Warren Park must be used for open space and recreation. To date, the Senior Center in Warren Park has been blocked.
Rainbow Beach Park
In November, 2008, the Chicago Park District approved the transfer of one acre as well as 1.5 acres of leased parkland from the City’s Water Department in Rainbow Beach Park to the Chicago Board of Education. The Board of Commissioners approved the land transfer for the construction of a new Powell Elementary School along South Shore Drive from 75th to 76th Streets. Friends of the Parks and the South Shore Community Organization strongly opposed the plan which violates the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront protection Ordinance. Sadly, on February 19, 2009, the Chicago Plan Commission approved the plan.
