PARK DISTRICT ACQUIRES LAND TO DEVELOP IN CONJUNCTION WITH JESSE WHITE FOUNDATION
COMMUNITY CENTER WILL OFFER ATHLETIC AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Release Date: 11/12/08
The Chicago Park District’s Board of Commissioners is expected to approve an intergovernmental land transfer at today’s board meeting of approximately one acre at 2420 W. Adams St. (at Western Avenue) in cooperation with the Jesse White Foundation. The acquisition of land on the Near West Side community in the second ward would be the site of a future community center.
The Jesse White Foundation proposed to the Chicago Park District the joint development of a community center to accommodate the Jesse White Tumblers. The center would also serve as a resource for the West Side community offering a diverse array of athletic, leisure and learning activities to reflect the Park District’s ongoing commitment to strengthening neighborhoods.
Portions of the proposed development are located within or adjacent to Rockwell Gardens public housing and adjacent to Phoenix Military Academy high school. The Chicago Housing Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Board of Education of the City of Chicago own the land. The development and acquisition of the site will require the approval and cooperation of all these agencies.
According to the 2001 Open Space Need by Community Area analysis, the Near West Side has an open space deficit of 32.8 acres. In the past, the Chicago Park District has used a portion of this site under leases with the Board of Education.
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