07-19-2008, 07:28 PM
http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/2041262.php
Will County Board Says 'No' To Hindu Temple Plan
HOMER TOWNSHIP, Ill. (STNG) - The Will County Board has rejected by an 18-to-7 vote a special-use zoning permit for a Hindu temple in southwest Homer Township after neighbors and the village of Homer Glen opposed the plan.
The Ganesha Gayathri Temple was proposed for 4.9 acres on Gougar Road, a few blocks south of 151st Street, in an agricultural zoning district. The applicants also requested two zoning variances, one of which concerned reducing lot-frontage requirements.
"The narrowness of the lot - 165 feet they're requesting, down from 300 feet - isn't conducive to a church," said board member Jim Bilotta (R-Lockport), chairman of the county board's land use committee.
Bilotta also mentioned safety and traffic issues as factors in the case.
"Bottom line, it came down to: It doesn't fit there," he said. "We definitely encourage them to hopefully find some other property in the district, in the area, which we can work with."
Chandra Sekhara Gurukkal and Manikandan Gurukkal proposed a 3,521-square-foot temple that would serve 100 to 200 people, with services on Saturday and Sunday typically being attended by 40 to 80 people, according to county documents.
The Homer Glen Village Board, the Homer Township Board and the township plan commission all opposed the proposal. Many neighbors also opposed the plan.
The Gurukkals' attorney, Daniel F. Hanlon, said the proposed site is near Interstate 355, which is changing the surrounding area through existing or planned business development.
"This neighborhood is changing, and ... the impact our project would have on traffic is minimum," Hanlon said. "The traffic studies show that (the temple) won't be adding many new cars. The updated traffic study shows there's been a significant reduction in traffic since 355 has opened out there."
Copyright 2008 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Will County Board Says 'No' To Hindu Temple Plan
HOMER TOWNSHIP, Ill. (STNG) - The Will County Board has rejected by an 18-to-7 vote a special-use zoning permit for a Hindu temple in southwest Homer Township after neighbors and the village of Homer Glen opposed the plan.
The Ganesha Gayathri Temple was proposed for 4.9 acres on Gougar Road, a few blocks south of 151st Street, in an agricultural zoning district. The applicants also requested two zoning variances, one of which concerned reducing lot-frontage requirements.
"The narrowness of the lot - 165 feet they're requesting, down from 300 feet - isn't conducive to a church," said board member Jim Bilotta (R-Lockport), chairman of the county board's land use committee.
Bilotta also mentioned safety and traffic issues as factors in the case.
"Bottom line, it came down to: It doesn't fit there," he said. "We definitely encourage them to hopefully find some other property in the district, in the area, which we can work with."
Chandra Sekhara Gurukkal and Manikandan Gurukkal proposed a 3,521-square-foot temple that would serve 100 to 200 people, with services on Saturday and Sunday typically being attended by 40 to 80 people, according to county documents.
The Homer Glen Village Board, the Homer Township Board and the township plan commission all opposed the proposal. Many neighbors also opposed the plan.
The Gurukkals' attorney, Daniel F. Hanlon, said the proposed site is near Interstate 355, which is changing the surrounding area through existing or planned business development.
"This neighborhood is changing, and ... the impact our project would have on traffic is minimum," Hanlon said. "The traffic studies show that (the temple) won't be adding many new cars. The updated traffic study shows there's been a significant reduction in traffic since 355 has opened out there."
Copyright 2008 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.