50 year theft

of

Maple Park

Residents Claiming Park District Property for Themselves

Starting in the early 1970s, the Palatine residents who live on the west side of David Drive in the Winston Park neighborhood began laying claim upon publicly-owned Park District property by constructing fences, building play structures & gardens, and mowing the natural vegetation that had been growing along the North Branch of the Salt Creek.

The amount of land encroached upon varies between each property, but a 40 foot wide encroachment is typical. One parcel is encroaching a full 150 feet into Palatine Park District property.

To put it bluntly, these adjacent property owners want a part of our beloved Maple & Chestnut Parks for themselves, at the expense of the enjoyment of the parkland by others. The stolen property contains prime greenspace along a creek that is teeming with wildlife. Walking along the creek corridor is a syrene experience that, due to illegally installed fences, few residents get to enjoy.

This unauthorized use of publicly owned land by private land owners must stop. We are asking that the adjacent property owners immediately remove all manmade objects from the Palatine Park District property, as well as to stop mowing grass past their rear property lines.

Use the slider to see compare the 1977—2023 Maple Park theft vs. originally recorded greenway.

Cross Section

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Friends of the Winston Park Greenway

Resolved Encroachments

The following encroachments have been resolved through the efforts of the Friends of the Winston Park Greenway

Currently Encroaching

The following properties are currently encroaching on Palatine Park District-owned property

Please submit a message on the Contact form if the status of these encroachments have changed. Nothing would please me more than to remove parcels from the Currently Encroaching list which are no longer squandering public land from the Winston Park Greenway.