Kane County panel rejects treatment center near Campton Hills
A drug and alcohol treatment center targeted for a site just outside Campton Hills was described as a "depth charge" to surrounding property values by a Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals member Tuesday night. That concern alone appeared to be enough to torpedo the application.
The zoning board voted 4-3 to deny the special use application by Maxxam Partners, LLC. The nonbinding recommendation will now go to the full Kane County Board for the final yes or no decision. It will arrive with a plethora of conflicting views by the zoning board.
Supporters relied heavily on studies commissioned by the investors of the treatment center for their stances on why it would be a positive addition to the community.
Zoning board member Roxanne Stover, to the jeers of the audience, said the treatment center would be much better than leaving the property vacant. She went as far as to say the treatment center investors "love" the surrounding property owners.
She pointed to the large forest preserve adjacent to most of the would-be center's property as a built-in buffer to any negative community impacts.
"I don't know how, not even being able to see this property, what you think is going to happen on the property that will diminish your value," Stover said to opponents. "They are going to be good neighbors to you, and I don't know how that could diminish your property."
Robert Moga is the zoning board member who predicted the "depth charge" impact to local property values if the treatment center is allowed. He said he's witnessed a drug treatment unit at a hospital, and that's all he needed to see to vote against this plan.
"It looked like a man-overboard drill," Moga said. "We don't know what we're talking about here tonight. I see (Kane County Board Chairman) Chris (Lauzen) back there. I do not want to be re-elected to this board if we approve this. This is so disgusting to me."
Moga's views already have a sympathetic ear on the county board. Board member Barb Wojnicki, who represents the area in question, has already come out against the project.
That could go a long way in deciding the ultimate fate of the application.
The board has a history of siding with the views of the representative in the affected district. Most recently, that fueled the denial of a liquor license for potential new owners of the Blackjack's strip club.
That denial sparked a lawsuit. Likewise, attorneys for the drug treatment center have suggested a housing discrimination lawsuit could be coming if the county shuns its advances.