Plainfield seeks to block shot at private soccer club
By Madhu Mayer Correspondent March 5, 2013 8:38AM
Updated: April 14, 2013 6:04AM
Concerns about traffic and parking led the village of Plainfield to object to a proposed private soccer club that would be located within 1.5 miles of the village limits.
The Plainfield Village Board recently approved sending a letter of legal objection to Kendall County for a special-use request for a soccer club at 609 Wheeler Road. Since the applicant is requesting a special use, the village has the legal right to review the proposal and consent or object.
Village planner Michael Garrigan said Plainfield’s legal objection will be filed with Kendall County.
“Any legal objection that is filed by the village would require Kendall County to approve this special use by a super majority,” he explained. “The subject case has not reached the Kendall County Board yet, and staff wanted an opportunity to submit the village’s objection to the proposed use prior to this case getting to the board.”
Garrigan said the objection is based on concerns of adjacent property owners who are worried about potential parking and traffic issues the proposal could generate.
Applicant Maria Silva Gonzalez said the soccer club, which has about 110 members, would meet from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday evenings and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. She said this site would not be used for actual soccer playing, just social activity related to the club.
“The applicant has further identified that they would like to construct a new clubhouse, which would be attached to an existing farm building,” said Garrigan. “The existing farm building is approximately 2,025 square feet and the new proposed space would be approximately 1,536 square feet and include several new gather rooms and a kitchen.”
Gonzalez also wants to construct 39 new parking spaces.
But Garrigan said parking is not the only worry, as the applicant’s Facebook page advertises a future Mexican-Peruvian restaurant on the site.
“Staff has some continued concerns about whether the new use would be consistent with he village’s long-term plans for the site,” he said. The village’s comprehensive plan identifies the location as residential.
“The proposed use could potentially become an incompatible use surrounded by future residential development and cause a number of potential enforcement issues for the village in the future,” said Garrigan.
Candy Winters, who lives in the nearby Springbank development, said parking already is a problem in the area.
“We already have people parking on Wheeler Road and this social soccer club would only exacerbate the situation,” she said.
