State legislation that would transfer ownership of 135 acres of open land at the former Joliet Correctional Center to the Forest Preserve District of Will County has moved forward.

The state Senate has approved the bill, which next goes to the House for a vote, according to a news release from Sen. Rachel Ventura.

Ventura, D-Joliet, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 1698, which was approved by the Senate on Wednesday.

“This transfer will bring much-needed oversight and cleanup to land that has been neglected for too long,” Ventura said in the lease. “Management by the forest preserve will not only enforce proper use of the land, but will also expand access and accountability to the local community.”

The proposed land transfer does not include the former prison, now called Old Joliet Prison and open to the public for tours and events, and the former women’s prison, which is run by a private company as The Old Joliet Haunted Prison.

The entire Joliet Correctional Center property is leased from the state by the city of Joliet.

The city is currently negotiating a renewal of the lease, which expired in December 2023.

City officials have declined to comment on whether they support a transfer of the undeveloped land to the forest preserve district.

But city management of the undeveloped land has come under criticism from neighbors, who say the area is used for dumping and other questionable activity.

Ventura’s news release said that activity has included “unsanctioned firearms practice, unsupervised fires and alcohol consumption, illegal dumping of construction materials, and unauthorized tree removal and wetland alteration.”

A group that wants to convert a section of the undeveloped land to a disc golf course had had access to the site with city approval.

SB 1698 would transfer the land to the forest preserve district for $1.

Forest preserve district board President Destinee Ortiz in a statement in the release said the district “is eager to collaborate with state leaders and local partners to ensure the full promise of this property is realized.”

The state closed the Joliet Correctional Center in 2002.

The city of Joliet, concerned about trespassing, arson fires and other criminal activity that was occurring at the old prison, negotiated a lease in 2017 that has given it control of the entire property.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum manages the former prison, which has been renamed Old Joliet Prison, in partnership with the city.

The city has negotiated a sublease with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which runs The Old Joliet Haunted Prison.