Neighbors rally against Montessori school plans

One year after trying to help a small church congregation stay in their neighborhood, a group of Glen Ellyn residents is rallying to prevent a Montessori preschool from moving in.

Last March, Diamante Montessori School bought the church building at 625 Hillside Ave. after Christ Church failed to make months of rental payments to the previous property owners.

Now Diamante is seeking a special-use permit from the village so it can operate in the building. The not-for-profit organization currently rents space from a church about two blocks away.

"Having a permanent location that the school controls will ensure its permanent longevity in the community as well as give us complete control over the environment, which is essential in a Montessori education," said Ron Repking, a Diamante board member.

Repking's comments came this week during a plan commission hearing attended by more than 120 people, including both supporters and opponents

While addressing village planners, Repking said the location at the southeast corner of Hillside and Park Boulevard is an ideal spot for the school.

"We believe this to be a wonderful reuse of the building that won't change at all the charm and character of that corner lot," he said.

Still, several neighbors don't want a Montessori school in the neighborhood. They want another congregation to move into the church.

"It's just not a good fit," said Carl Cepuran, who has lived in the area for 24 years. "The location and the size is not a good fit for the use. It's different from a church. It's not the building; it's the use."

Neighbors opposed to the project cite traffic, pedestrian safety and flooding among their top concerns.

For example, there are worries about cars and vans backing up onto Park when parents are dropping off and picking up their kids. Neighbors argue that could create a safety hazard for children walking past the property.

"We can't get out of our driveways at this point," said Chuck Reiss, who lives along Park. "And now you're going to add more cars to the mix?"

Reiss said the congregations that met previously in the church building only created traffic on Sundays because they were small and only had one service.

But Repking insists experts tell him the intersection can handle the staggered amounts of traffic the preschool would create. Currently, there are 69 students enrolled at the school.

As for backups, Repking said the driveway can handle 16 vehicles.

"Considering that the most cars during the drop-off period is 21, this is more than enough space," he said.

Another issue Repking addressed is whether the building would be torn down or expanded. He said the exterior will remain as is but some interior rehabilitation and renovation work is planned.

The public hearing is scheduled to resume Jan. 22.