Lake Forest Buys Old Joytime Preschool Site To Expand South Park

LAKE FOREST, IL — The Lake Forest City Council voted unanimously Monday to purchase the former site of Joytime Preschool for $315,000.

City officials plan to demolish the house on the 0.4-acre parcel and add it to South Park to protect a city-owned water main that was installed more than 60 years ago and serves much of the surrounding Northmoor subdivision, accordion to a staff memo.

Seller Kathleen Knarvik has been in discussions with city staff for several years about the possible sale of the property, according to staff.

The site is zoned as a GR-3 residential district, which allows for a two-family home without special permission or a planned multi-unit development with a special use permit.

Staff determined that the city's 20-inch pressurized water main would make it a challenge to redevelop the site. In December 2020, the City Council's Property and Public Lands Committee reviewed the potential purchase in executive session and recommended aldermen approve the city's acquisition of the land.

"The integrity of the water main could likely be threatened due to the narrow configuration of the property and proximity of the water main," according to a staff memo prepared for Monday's meeting.

Joytime Preschool founders Joy and Earle Hodgen built the structure on the site in 1953 and opened a preschool in 1962.

Their daughter, Kathleen, ran the school from 1999 until its closure in 2013 after six decades in southeast Lake Forest.

"Children have the same needs as ever — love, support, and positive reinforcement," whether it be 1953 or 2013, Kathleen Hodgen said at the time. "We always tried to instill a feeling of well-being and respect for others."

The home was last listed in mid-2018 with an asking price of $439,000. According to city staff, the negotiated sale price falls in the midpoint of the property's appraised value and has been adjusted to account for the cost of clearing it.

Staff reported funds to purchase the land are coming from the Water and Sewer Capital Fund, while funding for demolition, site restoration and any future improvements of South Park will come from the Parks and Public Land Fund.

Community Development Director Cathy Czerniak said city attorneys are working to finalize closing documents and the deal is expected to be closed within the next few weeks.

"Soon after closing, the City will proceed with demolition and removal of the existing structure and cleanup of the yard," Czerniak told Patch in an email. "There are no immediate plans for the property except to add green space to South Park and the neighborhood"