Resident Input Needed for Homer Glen Trail System
A Trails Master Plan Open House will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesday, April 15th in the Village Council Chamber to solicit public input for Homer Glen's Trails Master Plan. When completed, the plan will define a comprehensive network of trails that will link Homer Glen residents to businesses, schools, regional trails, and other recreational areas.
The Trails Master Plan Task Force is seeking resident input that will be used in the development of the plan. Some of the topics addressed at the open house will be as follows:
- How will the trail system be used by residents?
- What destinations and trail connections are important to residents?
- What types of trail construction would residents like to see?
- Where do residents feel that trails are needed?
- What aesthetic qualities and amenities would residents like to see on the trail system?
- How should trail development be prioritized?
Please plan to attend the event and bring along your spouse, child, parent, or neighbor. Refreshments will be provided. For more information call Village Hall at (708) 301-0632.
Park and Recreation Master Plan
The Park and Recreation Master Plan was passed by the Village Board on October 23, 2007. Please be aware that the Plan document, linked below, is very large (about 48MB).
Park and Recreation Master Plan (PDF 48MB)
A copy of the Plan is also available for review at the Village Administration office.
Planning New Parks
A reorganized Parks & Recreation Committee began meeting in November of 2005 to plan and develop a park system for the Village.
Since incorporation, the Village has received five park sites from developers (in the Meadowview West, Erin Hills, Kingston Hills, Glenview Walk Estates, and Stonebridge Woods subdivisions) and began to accumulate cash donations from developers in an amount that will allow the development of some of the park sites.
Stonebridge Park
Stonebridge Park is located west of Parker Road on the south side of 159th Street.
Homer Glen has a new park! On October 25, 2008, the Village of Homer Glen held a grand opening ceremony for Stonebridge Park, located at 14200 Stonebridge Drive. The Mayor, along with the co-chairs of the Parks & Recreation Committee, Trustees De Vivo and Knaack, and the developers for the Stonebridge Subdivision Tom Hahn and partner Greg Chentnik helped in the celebration of the park opening.
The park property was dedicated as part of the Stonebridge Subdivision park donation and developed with the help of an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Stonebridge Park is the second Village owned park and includes many amenities including tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, exciting playground equipment, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, a walking/bike path, and a large open area for kids to play softball, football, soccer or other outdoor activities.
Homer Glen is continuing to add additional park space throughout the Village. The Village recently applied for an OSLAD grant for the purchase of land adjacent to a proposed park in the Erin Hills Subdivision. If approved, the acquisition would double the size of the park parcel allowing for future expanded park facilities. The application is currently under review with awards announced in early 2009.
Kingston Hills Park
Homer Glen's first neighborhood park on Carlton Lane in the Kingston Hills Subdivision has been a welcome addition to the neighborhood and Village. The park abuts a walking/biking path constructed between 151st Street and Martingale Lane and includes state-of-the-art playground equipment and a shelter. This park was built using developer donations from the Village's Park Fund.
Erin Hills Park Site
The Village is preparing a grant application to obtain funds from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The proposed project will enlarge and develop the Erin Hills Subdivision park site, located on S. Dublin Drive west of Parker Road. This park is along the Long Run Creek.
A preliminary site plan is being prepared for a May 19, 2008 public meeting, to be held at the Village Hall at 7:30 PM. Comments are being accepted on the plan through May 29, 2008.
The Village should learn in early 2009 whether its application has been approved and could then proceed with construction.
Park Donation Ordinance
One of the first actions by the Parks & Recreation Committee was to recommend changes to the Village's Park Donation Ordinance. This ordinance requires developers who subdivide land in Homer Glen to donate 11 acres of buildable land for each 1,000 people, or the Village may require a cash payment in lieu of land. The two major changes to the ordinance were to increase the value of a buildable acre from $100,000 to $160,000 for the calculation of cash payments and to require a developer to turnover any park sites in a development within three years following approval of the final plat or once 75% of the lots are occupied, whichever is sooner.