Oak Park can now seize the U.S. Bank building at 11 Madison St. for a new police headquarters after Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation granting the village temporary quick-take eminent domain authority.

The governor signed SB3107 on Aug. 7, making it Public Act 104-0816, according to Illinois General Assembly records. The law gives Oak Park two years to acquire the property before the quick-take powers expire, with the provisions repealing entirely on Aug. 7, 2029.

The village confirmed the signing in its weekly report for the week ending Aug. 14, calling the planned facility a "state-of-the-art police headquarters that will better serve the Oak Park Police Department and the community."

What quick-take means

Quick-take eminent domain lets a government take possession of private property for a public project before a final price is set. The owner still receives fair market value, but the acquisition doesn't wait for a negotiated sale.

The tool requires specific state legislative approval.

Village trustees voted in January to pursue quick-take after negotiations with U.S. Bank over the Madison Street property stalled, the Chicago Tribune reported in March. During those talks, the property was appraised at $2.3 million.

"Our police department needs to be a modern police department," Village President Vicki Scaman told the Tribune in March, when the legislation was advancing through Springfield.

The path through Springfield

The bill passed the Illinois Senate on April 16 by a vote of 51-3 and cleared the House on May 27 with a 79-27 vote. State Sen. Don Harmon sponsored the bill in the Senate; state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly was the House chief sponsor, with state Rep. Ryan Spain as alternate co-sponsor.

Cost and context

The police department currently operates out of the basement of Village Hall, a building roughly 50 years old. Estimates presented at a Feb. 10 village meeting put the cost of a new police station at approximately $63.75 million, with separate Village Hall improvements running about $26.2 million.

A U.S. Bank representative objected to the quick-take plan at a January village board meeting, saying the bank wanted to sell the building but remain as a tenant under a leaseback arrangement. As we reported Aug. 18, the bank has since filed for a new drive-thru facility one block from its current location.

What's next

The village has not announced a timeline for filing a quick-take petition or a target date for acquiring the property. The Village Board Finance Committee meets Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.