Antioch's Planning and Zoning Board has voted against a proposed early learning center that Antioch Community Consolidated School District 34 says it desperately needs, setting up a pivotal vote before the Village Board of Trustees next month. The board recommended denying the special use permit for a site at Tiffany Road and North Avenue by a 4-3 margin, citing worries about traffic, parking and sidewalks near the property.
The district wants to replace the century-old Mary Kay McNeill Early Learning Center, and Borowiak has warned that the planning board's recommendation could cause costly delays to a project already racing against a state deadline. Because the panel's recommendation is only advisory, the Village Board of Trustees may consider the permit application when it meets on Oct. 14, according to a District 34 facility memorandum.
A Building Superintendent Calls On Its Last Legs
The current Mary Kay McNeill center, at 817 Main Street, operates out of a building that first opened in 1928, per a biography from the GFWC Antioch Jr. Woman's Club. Borowiak described the facility as being on its last legs, the same Tribune report notes. The center serves pre-kindergarten students.
Under the district's current setup, pre-K and kindergarten students attend separate facilities. The proposed new facility is intended to serve pre-K and kindergarten students, per the Tribune's reporting. Hulting warned that project costs could rise and the opening date could slip if the Tiffany Road site does not come together.
A State Deadline Adds Pressure
Illinois law requires school districts to offer full-day kindergarten by the 2027-28 school year, a mandate created under Public Act 103-0410, which then-lawmakers signed in August 2023, according to the Illinois General Assembly. Before that law, Illinois had permitted school boards to offer half-day kindergarten only. District 34 is aiming to consolidate all of its pre-K and kindergarten students into one building at the Tiffany Road parcel, which the district bought back in 1994 with the intention of eventually building a school there, the Tribune reports.
The district's newer facility plans focus on early learning. District 34's proposed layout for the new center is designed to serve pre-K and kindergarten students.
Traffic Concerns Collide With A Tight Timeline
Planning board members who voted against the permit raised concerns that a new school at the site would exacerbate existing traffic issues, per the Tribune. In response, District 34 outlined potential mitigation steps in a Sept. 15 facility memorandum, including estimated sidewalk extensions along North Avenue and Tiffany Road costing between $200,000 and $300,000, while the district works with Legat Architects and CCS International on contingency plans, according to the memo obtained through the village's meeting portal.
Gartner said residents have the right to oppose the district's project and pledged to defend the independence of the planning and zoning panel.
Notably, the village and the school district have recently worked closely together on other matters. In July, the Antioch Village Board approved Ordinance No. 26-07-42, establishing an intergovernmental agreement with District 34 to share the cost of a designated Village School Resource Officer, according to village board meeting minutes. Under that agreement, an officer was assigned to serve across district schools, just months before the zoning dispute became public.
What Happens If The Village Board Says No
District 34 says it evaluated traffic, drainage, parking, safety and other site-related concerns during the review process and believes it addressed issues raised by the public, per the Tribune's account. If the Village Board upholds the planning board's recommendation on Oct. 14, the district says it will evaluate acquiring a different site, renovating the existing McNeill building, or replacing it on the same Main Street property — but the district has said the current property cannot accommodate both preschool and kindergarten together. Rebuilding there would likely serve preschool only, leaving kindergarten in the elementary schools, and a future referendum could eventually be needed to address overcrowding under that scenario.
The district has said any of those alternatives would raise project costs significantly and require additional study and delays, while the current $58 million project is expected to be funded through existing bond capacity and new state-permitted self-funding without additional burden on taxpayers or a referendum, according to the Tribune. The new school is planned for completion and ready to welcome students by August 2028. District 34 also owns property near Savage Road that the district has discussed as an alternative early-learning-center site.
Representatives of the Tiffany Farms Homeowners Association did not provide comment when contacted by the paper.
