Illinois Supreme Court Sides With City on Case of Controversial Bleachers

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The $1.2 million bleachers at Crystal Lake South, which have towered over a nearby subdivision and angered neighbors, should have never been built without the city’s approval, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The high court voted 7-0, siding with with the city of Crystal Lake, which has contended that zoning laws prohibited the bleachers from being constructed, the Daily Herald reports. The school district has said school land is exempt from city zoning laws.

“As a home rule municipality, the city has the power to regulate land use within its jurisdiction through zoning. There is no statute which exempts school district property from the exercise of the city’s zoning laws,” according to Thursday’s ruling.

Moving forward, the school district will ”fully comply with all court orders regarding the demolition of the bleachers,” District 155 Board of Education President Ted Wagner said in a statement Thursday.

“We are committed to working with our residential neighbors, and we will continue to work with the City of Crystal Lake to move forward in a cooperative and respectful manner,” he said. “We will now work to finalize a demolition process and timeline that will minimize disruption to our students and community.”

The school district is “disappointed” with court’s decision, Wagner said.

“Community High School District 155 followed the required Illinois School Code process, and obtained all required permits from the Regional County Superintendent in planning and constructing the bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School,” he said.

• You can read the full statement from the school district here.

The case has wound its way through the court system since the summer of 2013 when homeowners living on Amberwood Drive said they were never given advance notification about the project, or an opportunity to share their concerns or input. The homeowners objected to the height and width of the new stands.

Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley blasted District 155 in a Thursday press release for not adhering to the city’s zoning process or working with residents living near the bleachers.

“From the outset, the City had requested District 155 to follow the zoning process and to engage the neighbors inorder to determine how the seating needs at Crystal Lake South could be addressed without impinging on the rights of its neighbors,” said Shepley. “District 155 disdained the City’s requests, and instead dragged the City, the neighbors, and the community into this legal odyssey. And after wasting the money on the bleachers and all the legal fees, what have we learned? That District 155 should have gone through the City’s zoning process.”

• You can read the entire press release from the city here.

READ MORE ON PATCH:

• Illinois Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Crystal Lake South Bleacher Case
• State Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Big Bleacher Case