Four park and recreational open space projects will be made possible through financial measures approved today by City Council.

Hadiya Pendleton Park, 4323-29 S. Calumet Ave.
The last four of approximately two dozen City-owned lots being used to expand Grand Boulevard’s Hadiya Pendleton Park will be sold to the Chicago Park District for $1 each. Totaling .24 acres, the lots are part of a $1.7 million plan to add a new playground, water spray feature, a dog-friendly area and fitness station to the park by the fall of 2015. Formerly known as Buckthorn Park, the park was renamed in early 2015 for the King College Prep sophomore shot and killed in 2013, shortly after performing at President Barack Obama’s second inaugural ceremony.

Read Dunning Park, 4030 N. Oak Park Ave.
A 7.5-acre parcel of City-owned land near Oak Park Avenue and Forest Preserve Drive will be sold to the park district for $1 to enable construction of a new $3 million park in the Dunning community. The proposed Read Dunning Park will include a multi-use artificial turf field, bleachers, a concessions stand, scoreboards, lighting, landscaping, washrooms, walking path and 93-space parking lot. Financing includes a $3 million state grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Sangamon Paseo, Sangamon Avenue between 16th and 21st streets
An initial portion of the proposed “Sangamon Paseo” public path through the Lower West Side will move forward through a plan to acquire eight parcels of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad land on the 900 blocks of West 18th Street, 19th Street, 20th Place, and Cullerton Avenue, and a privately owned industrial site on the 1400 block of Sangamon Street. Totaling 61,000-square-feet, the parcels will be used to create a north-south pedestrian link along Sangamon and encourage outdoor recreational activity. The parcels will eventually be appraised, purchased, and converted to public open space while the design details for the multi-phase, at-grade trail project are completed.

Hollywood and Ridge Open Space, 5708 N. Ridge Ave.
The development of a new community open space adjacent to the former Ridge Avenue Fire Station will be partly financed with $114,000 in Open Space Impact Fees. The funds will be used to develop, acquire, and landscape the .08-acre parcel for community use. Additional funding will include $330,000 in 48th Ward aldermanic funds. Open Space Impact Fees are generated by new residential development projects to accommodate open space needs within the City’s 77 community areas.

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