Months After Big Bleachers Constructed, District 155 Seeks City Zoning Approval

Those big bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School continue to make headlines.

On Friday, and after months of arguing that the $1.2 million bleachers built in 2013 did not need local approval, District 155 filed an application for retroactive zoning approval for the bleachers, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Attorneys for the school district have said the school should follow state school code but the court ruled in favor of the city of Crystal Lake, which argued “state law also requires municipal oversight to address limits on size and proximity to neighbors,” according to the newspaper.

The McHenry County Circuit Court ruled that the 48-foot high bleachers needed to be demolished by Dec. 1 but enforcement has been delayed on that ruling as the Illinois Supreme Court decides whether it will hear the case, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The city has been tallying up fines against the school district, which reached $295,000 on Tuesday, for violations against the city’s zoning code, which include violations for the bleachers being too close to neighboring properties and too tall, the Northwest Herald reports. The fines can continue to add up until the school district finalizes its submissions and the city is still waiting on landscape and engineering plans.

The school district has taken some steps toward trying to address issues surrounding the bleachers, which includes not allowing access to the top and side seating of the bleachers, increasing security during games as well as when the bleachers are not being used and moving portable restrooms to a more remote location, according to the newspaper.

The proposal submitted to the city also includes more modifications meant to appease students, residents, taxpayers, parents and staff, according to the Northwest Herald.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by those in a neighborhood surrounding the massive bleachers remains in Illinois courts, according to the Northwest Herald.

Controversy over the bleachers began in 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 size of the new stands, which are triple the width of the previous bleachers. The new stadium also was built 41 feet from the homeowners’ property line.

City zoning requires structures on the Crystal Lake South site to be a max of 15 feet tall and 600 square feet wide and at least 50 feet from neighboring properties, the Chicago Tribune reports.