Joliet council to vote on developing park near sex offender apartments

The Joliet City Council will vote Tuesday on plans to move ahead with a city park originally conceived as a potential deterrent to a nearby apartment house occupied by registered sex offenders.

The city of Joliet acquired the property at 1000 N. Center St. in August 2022 amid a neighborhood controversy over a nearby apartment building acquired by an organization that finds housing for convicted sex offenders who can’t find a place to live because of restrictions imposed by Illinois law.

The park was seen as a way to move out offenders because of state law limiting the distance between sex offenders and a public park, although the influence of the city park is unclear.

The city spent $124,000 to acquire the property, which had been occupied by a vacant, burnt-out house. About $100,000 will be spent to develop the park.

The park would not have a playground. It would have plantings, benches and a sign that says “Cunningham Neighborhood Park.”

The city will maintain the park.

The Cora Street apartment building housing sex offenders is owned by NewDay Apartments, which is based in Lake Zurich.

An advocate for convicted sex offenders previously told The Herald-News that the presence of a public park in the vicinity of the apartment house could limit who is allowed to live there, but certain offenders would not be barred from the building.