Palatine Group Home Expansion Issue on Hold Until Fall

The Palatine Village Council Monday voted to revisit a proposed increase in the number of residents allowed at a group home located in a residential neighborhood, until September. 

The facility, NeuroRestorative, is located at 1158 Deer Avenue, and serves people who are called "participants" and who have traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries and require rehabilitation. 

District 2 Councilman Scott Lamerand almost immediately suggested the vote be continued to the fall. 

"We haven’t seen what a summer is like, to see how it goes, and there are a lot of children in the neighborhood," Lamerand said. "It's only seen six months, and four of them have been winter."

The facility took in its first participant in November of 2012. 

Two residents who live in the neighborhood spoke at the meeting.

Chris Wheaton, who lives next door to the group home on Deer Avenue agreed with Lamerand. 

"They haven’t been there for a year yet, to even see the annual checks for police and fire. It needs to play out and we haven’t even seen a summer with all the children playing in the neighborhood," Wheaton said.

Neighborhood resident Mark LaSpisa echoed those sentiments, and appealed to the council from a safety perspective. He said conflicting information has been received by himself and his neighbors. 

"Residents were told people [who reside in the group home] would not be walking the neighborhood unsupervised; they are opening up all these kids to who knows who lives there," LaSpisa said.

He cited at least one incident where a participant was walking outside, and according to a letter provided to the village council from another resident, was walking in an what appeared to be an unstable fashion, while weaving in and out of neighborhood yards. 

NeuroRestorative Program Director Heaven Hollander said based on evaluations, some residents are allowed to walk freely outside in the neighborhood, and that it is imperative for their rehabilitation in some cases. 

LaSpisa also said due to parking issues where visitors cars overhang the sidewalks, neighborhood children on bicycles are forced to ride out in the streets. 

Hollander said that issue had been, and would continue to be addressed. 

"That is an issue that exists in all neighborhoods, but I will continue to monitor that," she said. 

"You have given us no recourse as residents. How do we protect our kids if somebody is out that we don’t know," LaSpisa said. "We are asking you to protect our kids and think about our kids. If you are going to port a group home, I don’t see any of that written in your rules and regulations." 

Also at issue was the question on whether expanding to house five participants at the home would be the last request. LaSpisa expressed concern the facility might ask to increase the number again in the future. 

As part of the special use request, NeuroRestorative did stipulate they would not ask to expand beyond five participants any time in the future. 

The village council voted unanimously to continue the discussion at the September 9 meeting.