Plans to build a multi-family housing complex for supportive, long-term addiction recovery for women and their children, proposed by the Volunteers of America organization, will not go forward. The Joliet City Council Tuesday removed the permit request from the agenda.

Joliet City Council member Terry Morris, District 5, said “the petitioner decided to pull the item for consideration from Tuesday night’s agenda”.

“I know the staff was recommending denial,” said Morris. By pulling the item from the agenda, Morris said “the petitioner at least has the option to rework the project with staff for future consideration.”

As to whether he would have supported or opposed the project if a vote was taken, Morris said he had “some concerns and questions” and was waiting for additional information on the project.

For weeks, the vote on the special use permit request was delayed after it became known that there were not enough votes to approve the measure. Among those who publicly voiced disapproval for the request were Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk and City Manager Jim Capparelli, who are against the construction of a 42-unit women’s opioid addiction treatment center at the former 2.1-acre Silver Cross Hospital site north of Copperfield Avenue and west of North Hebbard Street.

Concept plan shows the construction of two three-story buildings, with one housing 24 dwelling units and the other 18.

Capparelli said he is against Joliet being used by developers for programs and social services targeted at homelessness and drug treatment centers.  He questioned why other Will County towns like Plainfield, Shorewood or Homer Glen are subjects of such requests. Already, according to Capparelli, Joliet has two homeless shelters, which are DayBreak and the MorningStar Mission.

Mary Ingrahamson of Joliet questioned why the east side of Joliet is always targeted for social service programs by developers, instead of on the west side or the Cathedral section.

“They just cannot think of this area as a dumping ground,” she said. “People live here and we have the right to feel safe and secure in our homes and neighborhood.”

But Jim Aikens sees the positive side of the shelter. Though he lives in downtown Joliet and realizes the opioid center would not be in his neighborhood, he believes people deserve to be helped.

“This is a good idea considering the opioid epidemic in our country,” he said. “Maybe they could have done this on a smaller scale.”

Madhu Mayer – mmayer@thetimesweekly.com