Wheaton architect wants Hubble site devoted to the homeless

A longtime Wheaton resident says he wants to buy the former Hubble Middle School site and convert it into small houses for homeless people.

Builder Tom Cherrington, who has spent 25 years in Wheaton, said the conversion would make the city a leader in providing for the less fortunate.

“We have people suffering out there and we don't see them,” Cherrington said. “Nobody has ever told me that there are too many homeless shelters. Once they become as prevalent as Starbucks, then I will pull back.”

Cherrington said a multi-home development at the site would help those in need, but he acknowledges he faces an uphill battle.

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 has been adamant for months that it wants to sell the property to a developer and get it back on the city and school district tax rolls.

Cherrington said he also understands the park district's desire to be involved in any development at the site. But he said his proposal's overall social contribution would offset those issues.

“If the community embraces this, and understands the joy of being part of something like this, I don't think we can put a price tag on this great gift to the community,” he said.

The school district, however, already has put a price on the site.

In February, District 200 opened a sealed-bid auction and set a $10 million minimum bid for the property at the highly visible northwest corner of Roosevelt and Naperville roads.

School board President Andy Johnson said the district received several calls on the property and recently placed an ad in Crain's Chicago Business magazine. He said he expects most bids to come through closer to the April 14 deadline.

Johnson would not comment specifically on Cherrington's offer but said he would welcome it if he had a qualified bid.

Cherrington said he has received support from some members of the religious community but he would most likely not meet the minimum bid. Instead, he said, he hopes the property receives no bids and opens a window to seek a partnership.

He said he will address the school board Wednesday. On Monday, he publicized his idea for the first time at the Wheaton City Council meeting.

Mayor Mike Gresk said the suggestion caught him off guard but he would be happy to talk with Cherrington.

Gresk stressed that Cherrington's best bet would be to approach the school district.

“He came out of nowhere,” he said. “If he wants to talk to the city, he should approach us. I'd be happy to entertain his thoughts. He seems to be sincere.”

Any development would have to go through the city's zoning process. The 22-acre site, which includes nine acres that can't be built on because they are in a flood plain, is zoned as a school and has received considerable use by the park district for its outdoor programs and the building's gym space.

City Manager Don Rose said he, too, was taken by surprise at the meeting.

“People throw out suggestions all the time,” he said. “But until they are more crystallized, I don't think we'd spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

Councilman John Prendiville, who is challenging Gresk in the April 5 election, said the idea does not have much chance of success.

“That's not a very realistic use of that property,” he said. “It wouldn't fit in under any proposals or usages that we want for that property. His heart is in the right place and I would be happy to talk to him about his vision somewhere else in the city.”

Meanwhile, Cherrington said he hopes that, at the very least, his idea sparks conversation about helping those less fortunate in the community.

“My purpose is not to tell others what to do or how to live your life,” he said. “The only intent is to understand, rather than be understood. This won't be measured in dollars and cents. It will be measured in the hearts and minds of our youth.”