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Neighbors and alumni urge council to keep student-only restriction as buyer seeks PUD change
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Summary
At pre-council, speakers pressed the City of Joliet to resist amending a planned-unit development that restricts tenancy at a former Joliet Junior College housing complex to students and affiliates; applicant representatives said they plan to remove the restriction to allow broader rental occupancy and cited high current occupancy.
Allison Swisher and public-comment speakers set a cordial tone in the City of Joliet’s pre-council meeting, but the largest, most contentious discussion centered on a proposed amendment to a planned-unit development that had limited tenancy at a former Joliet Junior College (JJC) housing complex to students, families and JJC employees.
Bob Wunderlich, a longtime former trustee and board chair at Joliet Junior College, told the council he opposed changing the PUD to allow non-student renters, saying the restriction was negotiated to protect neighbors and students and that the rule had already been violated by the property’s current owner. “I am against changing the PUD to open it up to anybody else,” Wunderlich said, urging the council to preserve the original safeguards.
City staff (Dustin) told council members the Joliet Junior College board of trustees “has no legislative control over that PUD” and that amending the PUD is a decision for the City Council after planning-commission review. Staff also said the ordinance’s language prohibits certain uses but does not prescribe automatic remedies if the restriction is breached.
Applicant representatives—attorney Aaron Dorsey for contract purchaser Midwest REO 5 LLC and John Kaye, director of acquisitions—addressed council questions about operations and occupancy. Kaye said the complex is currently about 95% occupied and that the buyer’s plan is to remove the student-only restriction so the units may be leased more broadly to sustain operations. The applicant said they met with the college during due diligence and offered to assist with maintenance of a nearby road, Rivera Way, if they acquire the property.
Council members asked about enforcement history and remedies. Staff said prior inspections show the property is a registered rental in the city’s rental-inspection program and that enforcement options exist, but moving to court is costly and used sparingly. A JJC trustee in the audience said trustees had not all been aware of timing issues for hearings and reiterated concerns about student safety and notice.
No formal vote on the PUD amendment occurred at pre-council. Staff said they would follow up with additional documentation and answers at the full council meeting the next day, including whether previous owners attempted to change zoning after acquiring the property by foreclosure.
The council’s next step is to consider the proposed PUD amendment on the formal agenda; staff indicated they would provide more detailed records and a planning-commission history at tomorrow’s session.
