OVERVIEW

The Village of Niles and the Niles Park District of Illinois engaged Hitchcock Design Group for the purpose of developing a 9.09-acre multi-use park plan that incorporates both active and passive recreation and the potential of facilitating stormwater detention below ground, above ground, or both. This side-by-side lot borders residential properties on three sides and the commercial property of Golf Mill Mall to the north.

The shared vision of the Village of Niles and Niles Park District is to build on years of joint community successes by collaborating on a conceptual park design that incorporates both parcels of 9.09 acres providing for an expanded park with multiple uses and a design that integrates a stormwater solution for the community. The goal is the creation of an extraordinary and original public park design that invites both active and passive recreation. The design would create a destination and community gathering place, new programming opportunities, economic drivers, art, and stealth flood relief.

PROCESS

The team will first assemble a thorough dataset that supports preliminary design exploration. This will be accomplished through discussions with staff, stakeholders, and the public – combined with a detailed site exploration and analysis.

The team will prepare conceptual designs for three design options for the project, exploring a variety of approaches that align with what we have learned to date, estimating costs as we go.

The public outreach process will occur in two phases. The first phase will include an input event held at Golf Mill Park where the team will deploy interactive engagement methods in-person concept and amenity voting for desired park elements. An online community survey will be developed to gauge preferences and solicit general feedback reaching broader into the community.

After incorporating feedback from the input meeting and user survey, the team will advance a single plan forward for comment during a traditional Open House Style Community Meeting.