CHICAGO — A new park coming to Washington Heights will aim to expand and enhance the major bike trail that snakes through the Far South Side.
The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners on Wednesday accepted the donation of 1.6 acres of land on 105th and Throop streets to be made into a park.
The parcel sits just west of the Major Taylor Bike Trail, a six-mile stretch of bike path that runs from 105th to 129th streets.
Park officials will turn the land into an "access park" for the trail, said Heather Gleason, director of planning and construction for the Chicago Park District. The new park will serve as an entrance to the trail and expand the trail's surrounding green space to make it more attractive to users, she said.
The Major Taylor Trail has no access parks along it, while the 606 has four, according to the Park District.
The Park District also intends to create a new park near 93rd Street and Vanderpoel Avenue in Beverly, which also abuts the Major Taylor Bike Trail and Cosme Park. Board members on Wednesday approved the transitioning of that property from Chicago Public Schools to the Park District.
The Park District was given the land near 105th and Throop by a developer who struggled to turn the site into private housing, Gleason said. Trees have since been planted on the site by the developer, who is based in suburban Summit, Gleason said.
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