Riverside has extended lease agreements for three residential units at 8 and 8½ West Ave., two properties it bought in June in connection with its project to build a floodwall along Groveland Avenue.
After approving the assignment of a contract to purchase the parcels in April, village trustees have extended the three tenant leases through Aug. 31, 2026.
Each residential unit previously had its own lease expiration date each year. One year-long lease ended on May 31 before converting to a month-to-month agreement while another concluded on July 31.
The third lease was set to expire on Oct. 31 and has been cut short to keep the duration in line with the other two leases.
The three units are spread across two structures, a two-family home at the front of the property and a single-family home in the back. All three units fall on the same parcel of land, according to the Cook County Assessor’s Office, while an adjacent parcel to the south falls “under common ownership” due to its vacancy.
The homes are the southmost on the west side of West Avenue, which lines the eastern bank of the Des Plaines River and ends just before reaching the BNSF railroad that bisects Riverside.
The village board approved the lease extensions as part of the consent agenda at their Sept. 4 meeting, meaning they did not discuss them or consider them individually.
When the board discussed the property acquisition in April, Village President Doug Pollock called the parcels “critical” in Riverside’s ongoing plan to construct the Groveland Avenue floodwall, which would run from south of the properties on West Avenue up to where Groveland meets Park Place.
According to a village memorandum from April, the renderings provided to Riverside by the United States Army Corps of Engineers show the wall would likely run through one of the residential structures.
Construction on that portion of the wall would likely not be able to begin until that home is demolished after the tenants leave, though the properties have not been formally appraised to determine which portions of the homes would be affected.
The most recent estimates place the floodwall’s price tag at $18 million, including a sewer separation, though Riverside will be on the hook to pay for just $2 million. The village is set to receive $10 million in federal Congressional funding and nearly $5 million from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
The office of Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García has also allocated $740,000 toward the project through Community Project Funding, an initiative that allows Congresspeople to request direct funding for projects that would benefit residents of their districts.
Last year, Village Manager Jessica Frances estimated work on the wall would conclude in 2028 or 2029 once it begins.
