Planning board recommends special‑use permit and site plan for memory‑care facility at 991 E. Route 173

The Antioch Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of EZB24‑07, a special‑use permit for an assisted‑living and memory‑care facility at 991 East Route 173 (PIN 0215200005), after the applicant presented additional landscaping and architectural modifications and commissioners discussed safeguards for neighbors.

The measure, moved and seconded during the public meeting, passed on a roll call in which commissioners registered their support; the commission also approved the associated site plan and will forward the advisory recommendation to the village board for final action.

Staff opened the continuation of the public hearing by summarizing prior meetings and noting the applicant had added a layered evergreen buffer, a berm and additional brick on building elevations at the board's request. The applicant’s representative described the updates as intended to “make it the most aesthetic as possible to make it look very homelike” and to appease neighbors.

Neighbors gave mixed testimony during the public‑comment period. Vincent Cardo, a nearby resident, told the commission he supports the project and pushed back on a circulating petition: “This facility is a great match for our community,” Cardo said, adding that the applicants now own the property and that the proposal would not materially worsen traffic for the subdivision. HOA representative Robert Opel reported the petition reached roughly 105 signatures and asked technical questions about easement distances and plantings. Resident and long‑time senior‑care worker Mice Babitz told the panel she welcomed more local memory‑care options so families could keep relatives near home.

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant for specifics about buffers and site access: the civil engineer stated the new trees would be about 8 feet at planting, staff described a berm and planting strip of about 40 feet from the property line and noted a 20‑foot fire access lane would be required. Commissioners also asked where service and trash pickup would be located; the applicant said deliveries and garbage handling are planned at the west end of the site and that enclosures will be provided though they were not depicted clearly on the current drawing.

The commission’s approval was made with stipulations reflecting the landscaping and architectural changes discussed during the hearing. Members emphasized the commission is advisory: staff and a commissioner noted the village board — an elected body — will review the recommendation. The filing under consideration was identified on the record by case number EZB24‑07 and the site address 991 East Route 173.

The matter will proceed to the village board, which holds final authority on zoning and special‑use approvals.