Joliet zoning board backs Arise Impact Center at 111 McDonough, with conditions

The Joliet Zoning Board of Appeals voted to approve petition 202553, a request from Arise Community Development to operate the Arise Impact Center at 111 McDonough Street, after hearing testimony from the applicant, staff, and neighborhood supporters.

Staff told the board the property is currently zoned R‑2 single‑family residential and that a community center is permitted as a special use if the Zoning Board recommends it and the mayor and city council approve it. Staff summarized the proposal as a volunteer‑run community center offering tutoring, mentoring and arts programs; the building would seat about 50 people, operate roughly 10 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays, and use existing on‑site parking (26 spaces). Staff recommended approval with conditions including obtaining a building permit, returning one ingress on Des Plaines Street to grass within six months if required, not leasing the facility for banquets, and requiring the special use to commence within 180 days or be subject to lapse or rehearing.

Applicant Glenda McCollum testified she and Arise have a lease with an option to purchase the 1,500‑square‑foot building and described recent exterior repairs, donated painting and parking‑lot work, volunteer staffing and planned programming. McCollum corrected staff’s site size reference and addressed safety concerns near the McDonough/Des Plaines corner, saying closing the McDonough entrance would create a security hazard and that she preferred to keep Des Plaines access.

Board members questioned funding sources, whether the site’s location in a FEMA‑designated floodplain affects eligibility for CDBG funding, and whether mold testing or floodplain mitigation would be needed. McCollum said she had spoken with a CDBG staffer, expected a mix of grant and private funding and planned to obtain any required building permits and permits tied to floodplain or structural requirements. Staff clarified that FEMA placed portions of the area in the floodplain in 2019 and that attachments to the packet referenced floodplain status; staff noted floodplain mitigation requirements can be triggered when construction costs exceed a threshold relative to property value.

Neighbors and other supporters told the board they had not observed recurring basement flooding in the immediate area and urged the board to approve the center to activate a long‑vacant, crime‑prone site. One resident said, "I'm I'm here to try to protect the children," voicing safety concerns driving support for youth programming.

After closing testimony, the board moved and seconded approval of petition 202553. On roll call each member present voted in favor. Because the request is for a special use in an R‑2 district, the Zoning Board’s approval functions as the board’s recommendation to the mayor and city council, and the city council makes the final decision on the special‑use permit.

Next steps: the petitioner must obtain required building permits and satisfy the conditions attached to the board’s approval; the item proceeds to the mayor and city council for final action on the special use permit.