Algonquin will be getting help from the state to fund its multimillion-dollar renovations to Willoughby Farms Park.
The village announced Thursday that it is the recipient of a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from Illinois. Willoughby Farms Park, located at 2001 Wynnfield Drive, is a 12-acre community park originally developed in 1996.
The park currently features a playground, baseball diamond, basketball court that converts into an ice skating rink in the winter, tennis and pickleball courts, walking trails, a parking lot and a surface water pond.
The planned renovations feature four new pickleball courts, a nature-themed play area, zip-line, gathering plaza with water features, pergola with swings, restroom building, new native planting areas and a multiuse court for basketball, badminton and futsal, a variation of soccer, according to a previous village news release.
Finalized plans were announced last year for the redevelopment after months of planning and gathering input from residents through open houses and online surveys.
The project’s estimated total cost is $4.6 million, according to the release. Another $1.25 million will be funded by Lennar, which is developing a residential area of 99 single-family homes and 150 townhouses south of the Willoughby Farms subdivision. Approved by the Village Board in 2024, the new development does not include a community park, but the village requested that Lennar pay a fee to support the nearby park renovations.
Construction is expected to start in the spring with an estimated completion set for summer 2027, according to the release.
“This project is about reinvesting in a park that has meant a great deal to the surrounding neighborhood for decades,” Village President Debby Sosine said in the release. “By leveraging state funding and local resources, we’re preserving what residents value about Willoughby Farms Park while making responsible improvements that benefit the community as a whole.”
The grant is part of $36 million funded statewide by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The IDNR awarded OSLAD grants to 67 communities for local park and outdoor recreation projects, according to the release.
Huntley Park District was awarded $600,000 for its first phase of developing Project Horizon, a “cornerstone” initiative “focused on enhancing parks, facilities, and recreational opportunities for the community,” according to a Huntley Park District news release.