The Morton Grove Village Board has sold government-owned property and purchased another piece of land as part of a larger plan to move its village hall and police station to Dempster Street.
Village Board trustees recently unanimously approved the sale of a vacant parcel of property at 6210 Dempster Street, on the north side of the street, to Fifth Third Bank for $700,000.
In a corresponding move, also unanimously approved by trustees, the village will purchase the existing large gray granite bank building and property at 6201 Dempster, on the south side of the street, from Fifth Third for $2.1 million, with the goal of moving the village hall and police department headquarters to that spot.
Fifth Third previously attempted to sell the building, but was not successful, according to village documents. A demolition plan was presented to the village, but after an inspection, village officials said they believed the building could be converted into a village hall and police department headquarters.
“We think we have found a great solution for the village (and) for its future,” Morton Grove Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said at the April 11 village board meeting.
Mayor Dan DiMaria added, “It’s just good government and the results are going to be really good for the village.”
Village officials have been interested in moving on from the current Capulina Avenue building that was viewed as a temporary headquarters when the village moved there in 1980.
“The building is grossly inadequate, especially from a police department standpoint,” Czerwinski said. “It is time for the village to move in another direction.”
Meanwhile, Fifth Third intends to construct a roughly 3,500-square-foot bank with a drive-thru, much smaller than theapproximately 26,000-square-foot building on the south side of Dempster, according to village documents.
“It is way more than necessary for the bank to operate,” Czerwinski said.
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Fifth Third officials did not immediately respond for requests for comment.
Czerwinski said after the meeting the two parties have entered a 120-day period of due diligence that could be extended for an additional 30 days.
He added the village staff is currently working with an architect on a space needs assessment to determine best uses for utilizing the existing building and site.
“We are confident that the facility, with the possible addition to the building, will meet the needs of the village near term and in the future,” he said.
Czerwinski did not provide a specific date for moving but floated the possibility that the closings could occur in the last quarter of this year, followed by design work that could last until the first quarter of 2024. He said construction could start in the early part of 2025.
“We can’t start construction until the bank has moved into their new facility,” Czerwinski noted.
A component of the agreement is a land swap between the village and the Morton Grove Park District. Currently the Park District owns an approximately half acre of land on the 6210 Dempster site that will go to Fifth Third Bank.
In return, the Park District will receive a slightly larger parcel of village-owned land just north of the American Legion Civic Center building.
Morton Grove Park District Executive Director Jeff Wait said there are no plans to develop that property.
“We like open space and we are committed to make sure the village has open space. The village is becoming more landlocked and anything we can do to preserve or even expand park space, that is something we are committed to,” Wait said.
Czerwinski added nothing has been determined regarding the future of the current village hall and police station.