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County staff to review records after prospective buyer raises 1988 site-plan approval for long‑running daycare
Summary
A prospective buyer and operator of Lake County Prep Academy told commissioners the daycare has served families for decades and that a 1988 site-plan approval appears to be misplaced in county records; building officials said no permits were found for a change of use and staff will search historic records before any code-enforcement action.
Darien Woods, representing Lake County Prep Academy as a prospective purchaser, asked the Board of County Commissioners on March 11 to “honor its prior ruling” after he said a 1988 site-plan approval for the childcare property could not be found in current county records and that missing records might threaten the center.
Woods said the site plan was reviewed on Jan. 27, 1988, formally approved by the board on Feb. 9, 1988 and recorded as "Ordinance number 6-88." He told the board the facility has served Lake County families for more than 50 years and said losing the center over a “county record keeping error” would worsen a countywide childcare shortage.
Bill Ondelich, Lake County building official, told the board staff had searched planning, building and zoning records and had not located permits documenting a conversion from a single-family structure to a daycare use. "We could not find any permits for the conversion," he said, and added that aerial records suggested unpermitted structures were added around 2017. Ondelich said staff spoke with licensing and the fire marshal and planned to try to reach a settlement agreement with the owner or prospective buyer to bring the property into compliance if necessary.
The county attorney clarified the board does not have jurisdiction to waive code-enforcement requirements on individual properties; code-enforcement cases are handled by the county's special master. The board nevertheless directed staff to gather historic records and to attempt to resolve the matter administratively before any case would move forward to code enforcement.
Ending: Staff said they will continue historic-record searches, coordinate among building, planning, fire and licensing staff, and report back to the board before any enforcement action is filed.
