Bowmanville-Balmoral Community Garden in Lincoln Square will be expanded onto .29 acres of adjacent land through financial assistance approved today by City Council.

Open Space Impact Fees in the amount of $70,000 will partly finance the purchase of three privately-owned parcels along Metra’s Union Pacific North line on the 5300 block of North Ravenswood Avenue. The funds will reimburse the NeighborSpace land trust for acquisition and development costs associated with the parcels in the expansion area, doubling the size of the existing garden.

Open Space Impact Fees are collected by the City of Chicago from new residential developments to help expand the amount of open space in each of the City’s 77 community areas.

The balance of the $170,000 acquisition will be paid by the Bowmanville Community Organization (BCO) and the Driehaus Foundation.

NeighborSpace, a nonprofit land trust, will preserve the garden as community open space for use by BCO and local residents.

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