Western Springs May Move Village Hall, Fire Station

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs is considering moving Village Hall and the next-door fire station and redeveloping the existing property, an official said this week.

At a Village Board meeting, Village Manager Ellen Baer briefly discussed the possibility as part of a larger presentation about projects in tax increment financing districts, or TIFs.

Baer said Village President Alice Gallagher has been working with village staff for the last few months on the options.

"We actually have some significant interest from developers that we are talking to, sort of picking their brain, getting free advice on what they think the site could be," Baer said. "We expect some significant progress on this in the coming months."

At the same time, she said the site poses challenges. For instance, she said, a well is on the property.

"Most developers don't seem daunted by those types of things," Baer said.

Williams Architects is reviewing the existing buildings to compare the costs of maintaining them to relocation options, she said.

The buildings are next to each other along Wolf Road in downtown Western Springs.