Proposed Elmhurst Group Home Draws Opposition

Elmhurst IL

16 April, 2021

2:54 PM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — A group home for men with addictions is already in operation in north Elmhurst, but it is seeking a city permit to continue. In 2018, the group home started at 348 N. Larch Ave., drawing some neighborhood opposition. The home now has seven residents and is seeking permission for up to eight, according to the city. The property has long been considered a problem by neighbors, going back at least 15 years. Later this month, a key city committee may make a recommendation on whether to grant a conditional use permit for the group home, sending the issue to the full City Council. Alderman Mike Honquest, who heads the council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee, said he expected the city to afford some accommodation to the group home, which is being run by Carpenter's Tools Ministries. "That's what we're trying to figure out," he said in an interview. Officials are watching the developments in a similar battle in Hinsdale. After a group home started in 2019, neighbors complained to the village. Hinsdale went to court to try to shut it down, but failed. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Hinsdale, alleging the village violated the group home's rights to a "reasonable accommodation" under the Americans With Disabilities Act. That litigation has yet to be resolved. In Elmhurst, Carpenter's Tools Ministries submitted its application for a permit in August 2019. Asked why it's taken two years to act on the issue, Honquest said the pandemic and a lack of access for an inspection of the house have contributed to the delay. The Development, Planning and Zoning committee is tentatively set to vote on a recommendation on the permit at its April 26 meeting, Honquest said. In the 2019 application, Jay Webb of Carpenter's Tools Ministries said he tried for years to find a home to give men with addictions a chance at a new beginning. "After entering addiction recovery in 2005, my passion turned to helping others attempting recovery," Webb said. "In doing so, I became aware of the lack of addiction services in Elmhurst and especially recovery housing opportunities." The house, which is owned by Naperville resident Gary Vician, includes seven bedrooms, four full bathrooms and three eat-in kitchens, according to the application. The application pointed out the group home's rights under the federal Fair Housing and Americans With Disabilities acts. In February 2019, Deputy Police Chief Michael McLean notified Vician, the property owner, that the city had identified "nuisance" activity on the property. He asked for a response within 10 days. According to his letter, police responded to the house Feb. 7, 2019, for an overdose investigation where the offenses were possession of heroin resulting in death and possession of hypodermic syringes. City records show that Webb responded in writing more than three weeks later. He said he had discussed the issue at length with Vician and has taken steps to assure no other incidents would happen. "We are not unlike so many other households who have suffered (loss) to a drug addiction, a lot of self-reflection and re-commitment to each other," Webb wrote. Some residents have expressed opposition to the proposal. In a 2019 email to the city, Paula Ziegler, who lives next door, said Vician had a long history of bothersome tenants. "He just wants (the house) as a revenue stream, but it's not safe for our family atmosphere in our neighborhood," she said. "I don't want this to be approved as a group home and given special zoning." In 2006, the Elmhurst Independent newspaper published a story about the problems at Vician's property on Larch Avenue. At the time, then-Ward 2 Alderwoman Jan Vanek said as many as 10 unrelated people lived in the house. "From what I understand, the police are there two or three times a week," Vanek told the Independent. "They've had fires. One fire was started when a resident tried to burn rubber off some copper piping." Vician, a former teacher and assistant principal, was then a Naperville Township trustee. In an interview, Webb said he knows about the history of the house and neighbors' opposition, but he said he cannot change what has happened. "They have been holding resentment for years. It's understandable. I'm trying to go forward. We're doing what we can. We're doing what is right," he said. Patch left a message for comment with Vician.