Bill would aid Tinley Park redevelopment
Ozinga introduces legislation to help village buy former mental health center
Legislation introduced by state Rep. Tim Ozinga, R-Mokena, is intended to help clear a path for Tinley Park to buy state-owned land, but some legislators have expressed support for the village’s Park District plans for the property.
The shuttered Tinley Park Mental Health Center and adjacent Howe Developmental Center comprise 280 acres northwest of the intersection of Harlem Avenue and 183rd Street.
House Bill 3469, introduced by Ozinga on Feb. 17 would have the state sell the property to the village for no less than fair market value.
Companion legislation, House Bill 3979, introduced Feb. 23, would allocate up to $15 million from the Rebuild Illinois capital program to demolish buildings and remove contaminants from the property.
The bill notes the money was part of the state’s fiscal 2022 budget but “removed without warning or notice,” and seeks to restore it as part of the budget year that begins July 1.
Both bills have been assigned to committees for review.
The village would like to see the site redeveloped for entertainment uses that could generate substantial property and sales tax revenue.
The site is near the interchange of Harlem with Interstate 80, and near the village’s outdoor music theater, the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, as well as the village’s convention center and several hotels.
The village’s Park District is proposing uses including multipurpose athletic fields and a domed sports complex with a fullsize soccer field.
The Tinley Park-Park District said several legislators have thrown their support to the Park District’s bid for the property.
In a Jan. 24 letter to the district, legislators said they are “excited at the opportunity for the entire southland region to benefit from your proposal.”
Encompassing 90 acres of the site, the Park District’s initial phase calls for a playground and sports facilities accessible for people with special needs, multipurpose athletic fields, a domed sports complex with a full-size soccer field, a stadium with a track and a splash pad.
The Park District expects that the project could attract regional sports tournaments, which the legislators said in the letter could benefit not only Tinley Park’s economy but neighboring communities as well.
Among legislators endorsing the project are state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park; state Rep. Will Davis, D-Hazel Crest; state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago
Heights, state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City and state Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex.
The property is controlled by the state’s Department of Central Management Services, and the village and Park District last year indicated their interest in buying the site.
Last year, there was finger pointing between Ozinga and state Sen. Mike Hastings, D-Frankfort, regarding who was supposed to introduce legislation aimed at helping the village acquire the site.
At that time, Tinley Park had a tentative deal to pay $4.5 million for the property and was in negotiations with CMS.
Any sale will require approval by the Illinois General Assembly.
The village has cited environmental problems such as tainted soil, underground storage tanks, asbestos and black mold. There would also be costs to demolish dozens of buildings.
An estimate made several years ago put the cost at remediating the site’s environmental issues and razing dozens of buildings at $12.4 million, but village officials suspect that cost has increased.
The site is in a tax increment financing district, and property tax revenue generated in the district through redevelopment could be used to pay for those site preparation costs.