The quest to open a new treatment center for individuals with substance-use disorders in Itasca, Ill. has escalated to the federal level. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago is stepping in to back the proposed project's developers, Haymarket DuPage LLC, by filing a motion to intervene in a lawsuit alleging disability discrimination by the village of Itasca.
Haycap Contractors undertook attempts to newly transform a local hotel into a specialized treatment center. However, these have been stymied by the village's refusal to grant proper zoning permissions. The complaint, outlined in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, accuses Itasca officials of orchestrating strategies particularly designed to thwart Haymarket's expansion efforts into DuPage County, where there's a pressing requirement for more substance-use disorder treatment facilities.
The intervention by federal prosecutors came to light on Thursday as they lodged a motion in a Chicago federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the village's actions amounted to unlawful discrimination. Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, indicated the intention to engage in the lawsuit through this move. The U.S. Attorney's team, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan A. Rosen, Sarah F. Terman, and Patrick W. Johnson, alleges that Itasca officials concocted baseless economic concerns and unfairly maligned Haymarket and its proponents.
"The complaint in intervention that the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeks to file contends that the village engaged in disparate treatment by employing a host of highly anomalous tactics to frustrate Haymarket’s application for zoning approval," is how the ordeal was described. Additionally, the village is accused of failing to adhere to its obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act before denying Haymarket’s zoning appeal. The matter is now set to potentially unfold in the judicial system, poised to add a fresh chapter to the ongoing struggle for treatment center approvals.
