Antioch leaders file suit to shut down church resale shop

The lack of bathroom facilities and strict zoning laws are threatening to end an Antioch church's resale business.

Village officials have filed for an injunction in Lake County circuit court seeking to shut down the God's Will Resale Shop, which operates on the same property as St. Ignatius Episcopal Church of Antioch on Deep Lake Road.

In court documents filed Oct. 5 in Lake County, village officials claim the resale shop opened illegally inside a building in a residential area and did not install a handicapped-accessible bathroom, as required by state law for all commercial structures.

"The village of Antioch is interested to make all public spaces safe for occupancy," Village Administrator Jim Keim said. "These are things that came down from the state. Our interest is to make sure all codes are followed and all buildings are safe for public occupancy."

Church officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

According to court documents, the resale shop was built in 2009 with an unpaved gravel floor but was later upgraded to include a cement floor, a loft, a heating system, and interior walls before being converted into the resale shop in spring 2014.

Court documents say a resale shop is considered a commercial business in Antioch and requires "a handicapped-accessible bathroom, lavatory, and water fountain" for employees and customers.

Village officials attempted to work with the church and resale shop for an extended period of time to bring the building into compliance, the documents claim. However, after several meetings with the village zoning board, the church petitioned the Illinois Department of Public Health to waive the bathroom requirement for the property, documents say.

The state denied the request and sent the issue back to the Antioch zoning board. Village officials told church leaders to move the resale shop inside the main church and use the building for storage, but they rejected the suggestion, according to the court documents.

When the church continued to operate the resale shop despite village protests, the village took the issue to court.

The village is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction against use of the building as a resale shop, the document reads.

The two sides are due back in court Oct. 28.