Riverside is dipping its toes into property acquisition to facilitate the eventual construction of the Groveland Avenue floodwall.
At their meeting on Thursday, trustees approved an agreement to assign a purchase contract to the village for the properties at 8 and 8 ½ West Avenue for $645,000.
Village President Doug Pollock called the purchase “critical” to Riverside’s plan to build a wall along Groveland Avenue to protect residents from the effects of flooding should the height of the Des Plaines River rise above 7.5 feet.
According to village board documents, renderings provided to Riverside by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show the floodwall would likely run through one of the homes on the properties, though neither the village nor the Army Corps has formally appraised which portions of the parcels could be affected.
The village board has not considered materials showing the design of the wall since last April, when trustees directed the Army Corps to design the floodwall with one pump station rather than the two it had originally planned for. The project will also involve a sewer separation north of Forest Avenue.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in February pledged to fund $4.9 million of the projected $18 million total price tag. With $10 million in federal Congressional funding and an additional $1 million from the office of Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, Riverside will have to cover about $2 million to build the wall.
Village Manager Jessica Frances estimated in September that work on the wall would likely conclude in 2029, though it could be done before the end of 2028.