Planned Darien Priests' Home Concerns Some

DARIEN, IL – A planned home for priests in Darien is creating some concern in the neighborhood.

The Society of Mount Carmel in Darien is seeking permission for a rectory that would house three or four priests, brothers or other religious occupants.

The house is at 8825 Robert Road, at the corner with Oldfield Road. It is part of the Tara Hill subdivision.

Mount Carmel needs Darien's approval because the city code limits the number of unrelated people in a house to two.

Ward 5 Alderwoman Mary Sullivan, who lives in the Tara Hill subdivision, told Patch that she has heard from residents about Mount Carmel's proposal. She said the concern is that the rectory would become more than a residence, changing the neighborhood's landscape.

She said she is glad that residents are participating in the process and seeking information.

In its application, Mount Carmel said the rectory would serve as a house.

Earlier this month, the proposal went through Darien's Plan Commission, which handles zoning.

The City Council's Municipal Services Committee is set to review the issue at 6 p.m. May 26. Then it is expected to reach the City Council on June 1.

At Monday's council meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese said he was concerned with how the Plan Commission meeting on the rectory ended and how it was conducted.

"I'll be dealing with that as a separate issue," he said.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Marchese said his concern was not so much with the outcome – the commission deadlocked 3-3 – but with the process that led to it.

Marchese, who didn't attend the commission meeting, said officials told him that some procedures, such as the three-minute limit for each person to speak, were not strictly followed.

He also said the three dissenters did not provide a rationale for their vote.

Marchese said he would speak with the commission's chairman, Louis Mallers, to review how the meeting was conducted.