Lake Zurich approves plan for daycare despite residents’ traffic concerns
A daycare franchise with a several suburban locations will be the latest addition to a busy retail area south of Route 22 and west of Route 12 in Lake Zurich.
Children's Land Daycare was granted a special use by Lake Zurich trustees Monday to operate in a building at 540 Cortland Drive that for five years housed Acosta's Home Consignment.
The family-owned daycare company opened in 2005 and now has 12 locations: Chicago, Park Ridge, Lincolnshire, Wheeling, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Grayslake, Vernon Hills and four in Glenview.
In Lake Zurich, Children's Land plans to remodel the building’s first-floor interior to serve infants through kindergarten-aged children in 11 classrooms. The second floor will be an office and break room.
Information provided to the village shows the center would have a maximum occupancy of 196 children, though daily attendance based on the 12 other centers is expected to be about 140.
The facilities include in-classroom libraries, indoor gyms and outdoor playgrounds.
According to the company, Children's Land “strives to create a learning environment that respects and values cultural differences,” and that demand for its curriculum continues to rise.
Hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Neighbors in the Orchards & Mossely Hill Estates neighborhood, which is accessed through Cortland Drive by a single entrance and exit off Route 22, contended there could be traffic and safety issues with people heading to and from work and school.
Access to the site and a traffic study was discussed May 20 at the village's advisory planning and zoning commission, which recommended approval 7-0 subject to conditions.
“There will be some adjustment periods as people get used to the change in use and change of traffic continuity,” Ray Keller, village manager and interim village planner, told the village board.
Company officials said pickup and drop-off times will be staggered over three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, and be one-way in and one-way out to minimize the impact on traffic.
“That was always my biggest concern — how are we going to get people in and out of this tight area,” said village Trustee Marc Spacone.
“I do appreciate the fact there's a lot of time and due diligence that went into this and I think you've got it right in this instance,” he added.
The board approved the special use for the facility 5-1, with Trustee Sujatha Bharadwaj voting against it because of the traffic concerns.
In late 2024, strong opposition from neighbors over similar issues prompted BrightPath Kids not to pursue development at the northwest corner of Route 22 and West Main Street.