County board approves special-use permit for Second Story Foundation recovery program at Crete horse farm

The Will County Board voted to grant a special-use permit on Sept. 18 allowing the Second Story Foundation to operate a residential recovery program at a horse farm in Crete Township, a project described by supporters as a rural-retreat model for men in extended recovery.

Zoning case ZC-25-063 requested a special-use permit for a use “similar or compatible to a rural retreat” at 2400 Bemis Road. The county’s Planning, Conservation and Development Committee recommended approval 6–0; the Land Use and Development Committee recommended approval with seven conditions (4–1). On the board floor, Chair Pretzel moved the measure and the board approved it 17–0.

Nate Washburn, attorney for the applicant, told the board the project combines private donations, grant funding (including an opioid‑fund award the county has recommended), and ongoing fundraising to pay for capital and operating costs. Washburn said founder Jim O’Connor was in Washington, D.C., meeting with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seeking additional capital funding for facility improvements.

“The goal is to convert this, build additional structures, improve the structures that are there to make this a … very well-rounded, well-built facility to help these individuals on their road to recovery,” Washburn said. He described the use as not a clinical treatment center or a halfway house but a living arrangement where residents live and work on a functioning horse farm while they continue recovery.

Board members asked and received clarifications about the program model: Washburn said typical resident stays were “between 6 to 18 months” with the longest recorded case about 20 months, and he said the program is expected to house a small number of residents (board discussion referenced a maximum of 16). He also said the program is not a fee‑for‑service residential treatment facility — residents would not be billed — and that intake is referral‑based, with background screening that excludes individuals with violent criminal histories.

Several board members, including Member Berkowitz, expressed support for the program’s mission and for preserving agricultural land while allowing a community‑oriented use. Member Newquist voiced zoning concerns about treating a long‑term residential program as agritourism or rural retreat because of the length of stay, and said he would have supported the project if it were applying under a different zoning category. Member O’Gala and others said conditions attached by land use address potential concerns such as limiting noisy entertainment and restricting rental‑style residential operations.

The board’s approval included the seven conditions recommended by the Land Use Committee. Those conditions (summarized in committee materials) address operational limits, maximum resident counts, and compatibility with nearby residential uses; the full land-use packet is part of the public record.

Supporters said the program offers work‑based therapeutic activities and job‑skill training, helps preserve a working agricultural property and fills a gap in services for people who have completed initial treatment but need a structured, transitional environment before returning to independent living.

The zoning action clears the way for the Second Story Foundation to proceed under the special‑use permit and for staff to complete any required permits and compliance checks (health, fire, and building) as set by the seven conditions attached to the approval.