Palatine OKs converting golf facility to church — after federal intervention?
In what church elders are calling a miracle, the Palatine village council unanimously approved a plan to convert a golf instruction facility on Quentin Road into a church after overwhelmingly rejecting a similar plan earlier this summer.
Joon Han, a church elder with the Bethel Presbyterian Church of Chicago, said Monday evening that after the June 1 meeting where the council rejected the church's original plan, he and the other members had lost hope.
The council voted 6-1 against the plan to make a new church out of the building at 399 N. Quentin Road that was most recently a Golf Nation golf instruction facility, for reasons including parking and traffic concerns and that the church would not generate taxes.
How does he feel now?
“We're just happy. This is a miracle,” Han said while surrounded by dozens of church members who had come to the meeting. He turned to ask everyone how they felt and received an enthusiastic “Great!” in response.
Han said that soon after the June 1 meeting, the church got a call from the Department of Justice, which said the way Palatine had rejected the plan was illegal.
“(The Department of Justice said) strictly on a tax basis, they cannot deny us, because a church is a tax-exempt organization,” Han said. “That would mean that Palatine would never allow any nonprofit organization.”
“They said they would investigate the case and would get involved in a suit with the village on our behalf. We said, 'Well, go ahead, by all means.'”
A Justice Department representative could not be immediately reached Monday night.
Village Attorney Patrick Brankin said he would not comment on whether the village had been contacted by the Justice Department. He also said he would not comment on Han's statements because he had not heard them himself.
Village Manager Reid Ottesen said he never spoke with anyone from the Justice Department. Ottesen said the only people he spoke with about the church's plan were the group's lawyer and its architect.
“I was contacted by the church about if we had concerns and I raised the issues as it relates to the occupancy size, parking and traffic,” Ottesen said. “We worked with the church and their architect and had a meeting with them to discuss what could be done differently.”
The revised site plan calls for the church to construct 73 additional parking spaces should it ever have more than 250 members attending service. The new plan also allows for the church to put on additional services each week in case the congregation grows to about 250 members so it can avoid having to build the extra parking spots.
Han said after the meeting that the changes to the plan were not significant.
“(It's the) same deal. Nothing has been changed,” Han said. “Until we reach 250 (members), which we hope to do someday.”
Han said several members of the church were intending to move or had already moved to Palatine partly because of the plan to start a church there.