Village Primed for Future Park Needs

A sluggish economy has created the right environment for the village to acquire new parkland and secure adequate park access to residents as Menomonee Falls develops.

In the past two months, the village has acquired 179 acres that will serve as locations for future public parks. The tracts were chosen to provide residents access to parks in underserved sections of Menomonee Falls. Securing property for future parks has been a top priority in the village's Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan for more than a decade.

"The goal was to secure our parkland properties now, because it's beneficial to do it in a sluggish economy rather than acquire land in a robust economy," said Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald.

Most recently, the Village Board and Plan Commission approved a resolution to acquire 62 acres on the northeast corner of Lannon and Lisbon roads. The property, formerly the location of Aero Park, offers convenient access, level land for athletic fields and wooded areas for trails and recreational use.

In November, the village purchased 117 acres for approximately $2.o4 million on the north side of Menomonee Avenue just east of Lannon Road. The village owns a third parcel pegged for parkland development on the north side of Mill Road less than a mile east of Main Street. The site is a former landfill that was closed and capped, according to DNR regulations.

Fitzgerald said officials haven't created a timetable to develop the trio of properties into parks, and it could be years down the road. However, the two recent acquisitions allow the village to ensure convenient park access in areas primed for residential development in the northwest and southwest portions of the village.

"We are where we need to be for the long term," Fitzgerald said.

To obtain the Aero Park property, the village exchanged with Aero Park Development LLC 39 acres it owns along Pilgrim Road across from Raven Way Drive. That property was evaluated for use as a park, but poor access and close proximity to Oakwood Park made it a less ideal location for a future park. However, the land is surrounded by residential developments, which made it a good exchange for Aero Park Development.

"It was an attempt to get a park in an area of future growth by exchanging a piece of land that was ready for development," Fitzgerald said.

The resolution allowing the village to acquire the Aero Park property also allowed the village to purchase of 8.9 acres of vacant land at N78W12683 Fond du Lac Avenue for $350,000. The land isn't planned for park use; instead, the village will reserve the land for future development.