An open space improvement project adjacent to the Northwest Side's 606 Park and Trail will move forward through a financial measure approved today by City Council.

A vacant, .15-acre lot at 1808 N. Whipple St. in Logan Square will receive $235,000 in Open Space Impact Fees to support environmental clean-up work prior to its incorporation into the adjacent Julia de Burgos Park at 1805 N. Albany Ave. Named for the Puerto Rican poet and opened in 2008, Julia de Burgos Park serves as one of 12 access points to the Chicago Park District's elevated 606 Park & Trail system.

The lot was acquired by the Department of Planning and Development in July 2015. It previously supported a residential use. Site work that is expected to include the replacement of topsoil, new grass and new fencing could be completed this summer.

The 606 is a 2.7-mile linear park converted from a former Canadian Pacific Railroad viaduct along Bloomingdale Ave. Managed by the Chicago Park District, the $95 million project opened in June 2015.

Open Space Impact Fees are fees charged to new residential developments to help ex[and and improve park spaces in each of the City's 77 community areas.

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