After nearly 2 years of debate, Itasca is close to decision on Haymarket drug treatment facility

Nearly two years of hearings on the proposed Haymarket Center drug treatment center in Itasca soon will come to a close with a recommendation by the village's plan commission expected within weeks and a village board decision in October, Mayor Jeff Pruyn said.

A public forum this week drew 14 people speaking for and against Haymarket's proposal. Public comments will conclude Aug. 25 at Itasca Village Hall with the plan commission vote expected in September.

The Chicago-based Haymarket Center is seeking permission from the village to convert a former Holiday Inn along Irving Park Road into a 240-bed facility for adult patients with drug and alcohol use disorders.

More than 1,000 people turned out at initial meetings on the proposal in the fall of 2019. Most opposed the plan, as does Itasca Fire Protection District Chief James Burke, who says emergency response resources would be overwhelmed.

At the latest hearing Wednesday, The Center Church pastor Bob Butler spoke in support of the facility, which he said is needed.

"I've been shepherding people who are addicts for years upon years and I still do it today. For the last 28 years, I've helped people get out of their addiction," Butler said. "What if Itasca surrounded itself with people who were hurting and made a decision to love them and redeem them?"

Itasca resident Mary Jo Capone, whose son was treated at Haymarket in the West Loop, opposed the facility being in Itasca, citing the lack of infrastructure and lack of job prospects for the Haymarket residents.

"It would be a disservice if our ambulances were at Haymarket when we needed them," Capone said. "It's like bringing death to Itasca. Our crime rate will skyrocket. I believe that they need treatment, but our small town will not be able to handle what goes on in this facility."

In previous testimony, Burke said such a facility would cause a 23% increase in ambulance calls. He estimated the number of calls in the village could climb by 379 a year.

Haymarket officials previously said the Itasca site wouldn't match the numbers at Haymarket's headquarters in the West Loop area of Chicago, in part because the Itasca facility would provide fewer services and because the Chicago location takes in more homeless people, who often require greater medical care.

The controversy surrounding Haymarket's plan began in June 2019 when the nonprofit group announced it wanted to buy the Holiday Inn on the west side of I-290 at Irving Park Road. Public hearings began that October but were halted in December 2019 after Haymarket filed a lawsuit against the village.

A judge dismissed the lawsuit in March 2020 and Haymarket bought the former hotel the next month, but COVID-19 led to more delays.

Hearings resumed in September 2020.

"It's been a long haul to get to this point," Pruyn said.