Use the slider to see compare the existing & reclaimed greenway.

Cross Section

Advocacy Status

• 2020-1-1: Created this web page to help organize my efforts.
• 2020-1-21: I emailed the Village of Palatine Department of Building Permits & Inspections regarding Encroaching Property #1, which was one of the most blatant encroachment upon Park District property.
• 2020-1-22: I received an initial email response from the Building department stating that they do not show a recent permit for a fence.
• 2020-1-27: As I hadn't received a follow-up, I emailed the Building Department 2 photos showing nails sticking out of of the encroaching fence. In response, I was told that the issue had been assigned to an inspector and that they would be in contact with me.
• 2020-2-4: I personally discussed with, and emailed Mayor Jim Schwantz encouraging the Village to resolve the encroachment issue prior to the sale of the home.
• 2020-2-5: I received a phone call from the Building Inspector assigned to the case. The homeowner will be sent a Notice of Violation which will instruct them to seek a permit for the new fence. During that process, the homeowner would need to remedy the enroachment on Park District property in order to avoid being fined.
• 2020-2-17: I raised the 12-property encroachment issue with the Palatine Park District.
• 2020-3-13: A Village building inspector informed me that park district is assessing and will be enforcing removal from all the properties with encroachments in the area.
• 2020-3-26: The Executive Director informed me that the Park District Board has indicated that they would like to reclaim the encroached property and have directed staff to investigate and come up with a plan. They recognize the need to remove barriers from the floodway and the possible opportuity to construct a trail within the corridor.
• 2020-5-1: The building inspector responded to my email letting me know that the fence behind Encroaching Property #1 is still in the permit review process. The property owner will be removing whatever objects are encroaching on Park District property.
• 2020-5-20: The real estate sale of Encroaching Property #1 closed and the previous owners vacated the property.
• 2020-6-4: I stopped by the Zoning desk to inquire about the case. In response, I received an email stating that a 6 month permit was issued for the existing fence on 5/11/20. As part of the conditions, any encroachments would have to be removed by November 11, 2020. I responded by asking whether the new property owner is aware of the permit and its conditions.
• 2020-7-25: The fence behind Encroaching Property #1 has been removed from Park District property. The result is that a 25 x 115 foot swath of land has been returned to the public after almost 50 years of being squandered by an adjacent residential property.
• 2020-7-30: I confirmed that the Park District has sent out letters to the 12 residents notifing that the they will need to remove the encroachments behind their properties.

Next Steps

• Encourage others to follow and support the initiative.
• Contact the Park District Board of Commissioners to inform them of the successful reclamation of park district land from Encroaching Property #1.

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Friends of the Winston Park Greenway

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 Park for themselves, at the expense of the enjoyment of the greenway by others. (I do acknowlege that in most cases, the fences were built by the original owners, who have long since sold the properties to unsuspecting newer owners.)

This unauthorized use of publicly owned land by private land owners must stop. I am asking that the adjacent property owners immediately remove all manmade objects from the Palatine Park District property, as well as to stop mowing down the vegetation.

Properties that are Encroaching on Palatine Park District-owned property

No.	PIN	Link to Detail Page	Encroachment Status	Last Checked	Actions
1	02-13-409-007	###-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021	Check MLS Status!
	The ### N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Chain link fence The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 138 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
2	02-13-409-008	###-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Monday, Jan 4, 2021	Check MLS Status!
	The ### N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Chain link fence Large swing set The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 130 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
3	02-13-409-009	###-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Jul 25, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ### N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Chain link fence Large pile of logs Wooden shed The combination of these 4 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 122 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
4	02-13-409-010	###-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Aug 15, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ### N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Chain link fence Large trampoline Large play structure The combination of these 4 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 114 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
5	02-13-409-011	###-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Aug 15, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ### N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Fencing Large play structure The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 106 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
6	02-13-409-012	##-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Jul 25, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Large play structure The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 58 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
7	02-13-409-013	##-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Aug 15, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Structured landscaping Electric lighting This encroachment make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 50 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
8	02-13-409-014	##-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Jul 25, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/2 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Steel shed Decorations The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 42 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District..
9	02-13-409-015	##-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Aug 15, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Large wooden shed Wheel barrel Wire fencing The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 34 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District..
10	02-13-409-016	##-N-David-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Aug 15, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N David Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/4 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Large trampolene Steel barrel The combination of these 2 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 30 N David Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District.
11	02-13-409-018	##-N-Winston-Dr-###7#	Owner is Encroaching MLS Status: Not For Sale	Saturday, Jul 25, 2020	Check MLS Status!
	The ## N Winston Dr property is currently encroaching on publicly owned property. Encroachment status: The homeowner owns .2 acres, but are encroaching on 1/2 acre of Palatine Park District-owned property. Current encroachments: Row boat on a trailer Structured Garden The combination of these 3 encroachments make it appear that the encroached land is part of the 12 N. Winston Dr parcel, and thus offers no benefit to the tax payers of the Palatine Park District..

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 this page which are no longer encroaching on the Winston Park greenway.