A 5-acre strip on 167th Street in Orland Hills may soon be scooped up by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, as the district board’s Real Estate Committee prepares to consider the potential purchase June 9.
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The land, which is adjacent to Forest Preserves property, would help the agency with its program to grow native seeds and manage invasive plant species, communications manager Stacina Stagner said Tuesday.
Stagner said the Forest Preserves hopes to restore the piece of land that poses a disruption to nearby native seed growing efforts, as the agency is unable to prevent invasive plant seeds from traveling from the strip.
“That’s not the only reason why we’re interested in the area, but it’s definitely a benefit as to why this parcel would make for a great addition to our holdings,” Stagner said.
The Forest Preserves also hope to better protect the parcel’s wetlands habitats, as Marley Creek runs through it, Stagner said.
“So we’ll be increasing wildlife habitat, further protecting local rivers and streams — things that are really important to the Forest Preserves,” she said.
Cook County property tax records show the 5-acre strip is owned by Asset Bridge Capital, a real estate company based in Salt Lake City. Owners could not be reached Tuesday.
Orland Hills Village Administrator Brian O’Neill said the village was not aware of the Forest Preserves proposed land purchase but noted its proximity to Liberty Square Condominiums situated immediately to the west at Liberty Circle.
“I don’t totally understand why they would be buying this strip of land,” he said. “If you look at it on a GIS map, it looks like it’s just kind of a hallway in between some other parcels.”
O’Neill said he wasn’t aware of the Forest Preserves owning any other land within the village, as the agency’s adjacent holdings are within Orland Park. Stagner said a small strip of land at the northeast corner of the 750-acre Orland Grassland falls within Orland Hills.
The Forest Preserves are proposing to purchase the land at 9750 167th St. for $600,000, along with closing costs of up to $10,000. The most recent estimated property value is about $109,000, according to property tax records.
Stagner said the Forest Preserves’ land acquisition strategy includes evaluating a parcel’s ecological value, which was determined to be high due to the strip’s shared borders with other Forest Preserves property and Marley Creek.
“There are not very many untouched lands anymore in Cook County, right?” Stagner said. “And so when we do find a parcel that is attractive and does provide those benefits, it’s extra important that we consider it if it would work for the Forest Preserves.”
Stagner said expanding the Forest Preserves’ land ownership falls within the agency’s Next Century Conservation Plan, which was released in 2014 and aims to restore 30,000 acres of natural habitat including prairies, wetlands and woodlands.
As part of the plan, the agency wants to manage 90,000 acres of Forest Preserves land by 2039. It currently manages about 70,000 acres.
The Forest Preserves added 181 acres in 2024 and 184 acres in 2025, with plans to add more than 400 more acres in the next two years across the northwest, south and southwest suburbs.
The board’s Real Estate Committee will consider the purchase and designation of the 5-acre strip as Forest Preserves land during a public meeting at 9:40 a.m. on June 9 at 118 N Clark St. in Chicago. If approved, it will go to the Cook County Board for another vote.