Darien Body Shop OK'd, Despite Objections

DARIEN, IL – In a split vote, Darien aldermen on Monday approved a controversial auto body shop, despite neighbors who protested it.

Now, a Gerber Collision & Glass shop, part of an Elmhurst-based chain with hundreds of locations, plans to set up shop in the old CVS Pharmacy in Darien. It is southeast of Lemont Road and 83rd Street.

After the vote, most of the audience left. Some expressed anger.

"Good riddance!" one man said.

Another yelled, "All should be voted out!" He was unclear whether that warning applied to aldermen who opposed the project.

A woman chimed in, "You're screwing your own businesses here," referring to two local mom-and-pop body shops.

Residents had spoken out at two previous committee meetings. They said the body shop was a bad fit for the neighborhood, noting it would be next to houses and a senior complex.

They said the business would be unsightly and cause pollution and noise.

Gerber Collision & Glass shop plans to set up shop in the old CVS Pharmacy in Darien. It is southeast of Lemont Road and 83rd Street. (David Giuliani/Patch)

During the meeting, Darien's municipal services director, Dan Gombac, said the city required Gerber to put up a six-foot brick wall to hide wrecked cars. That would prevent the shop from looking like a junkyard, he said.

But residents doubted Gerber would always put wrecked cars in the walled space. Sometimes, they said, the business would not have enough space.

The neighbors pointed to other Gerber locations where wrecked cars were parked for all to see. And they spoke about Gerber's D+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

They also noted no resident had come forward to support the project at any of the meetings. That was true until late in Monday's session.

City Treasurer Michael Coren, who lives a few blocks away, said he supported the shop. He then spoke about the neighborhood's history, saying Darien once envisioned its downtown at Lemont and 83rd, but no longer.

With retail dying, he said, the area has turned more industrial in recent years, in both Darien and Woodridge.

He said he was hearing some of the same not-in-my-backyard sentiments that he heard when he was on the city's zoning commission years ago.

However, Alderman Gerry Leganski said the body shop was a "square peg in a round hole." He said he visited other Gerber locations recently and couldn't find a shop like the one proposed for Darien – next to houses and a senior complex.

Alderman Joe Kenny also opposed the project, focusing on the possible pollution. He said the city was four years removed from the closure of Sterigenics, the Willowbrook factory that authorities said emitted cancer-causing pollutants.

"People on this side of town are saying, 'Now, here we go again. We have something in our backyard.' What's their mental capacity going to be knowing that's there?" Kenny said.

Alderwoman Mary Sullivan said the city should strive to protect residents' welfare, safety and property values. As such, she said she opposed the project.

But Alderman Eric Gustafson, whose Ward 6 includes the neighborhood in question, supported it. He said he was most concerned for residents of the senior complex, Myers Commons.

But he said a body shop may be a better alternative than other uses such as a bar. (In an email Tuesday, Gustafson told Patch he spoke to Myers Commons' leadership team and that it agreed something else could be much worse than Gerber. "None of their residents spoke against the project," he said.)

Gustafson said he had heard "extremely positive things" about Gerber.

"I wish we had three different businesses to pick from of what to go in the CVS building," the alderman said.

He said he had communicated with many opponents of the body shop.

"I've also talked to a lot of residents who don't oppose it," he said.

When audience members disagreed such residents exist, he said. "There are a lot of people who are not going to come and speak in this kind of forum, but when I'm out walking and they're calling, they are in agreement with this type of business."

The council voted 4-3 for the shop. Aldermen Gustafson, Ted Schauer, Ralph Stompanato and Thomas Belczak were for it. Against were Leganski, Sullivan and Kenny.

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese said the body shop was a tough decision for aldermen, especially Gustafson, who represented the neighborhood.

"We needed to find a business that was Amazon-proof," the mayor said. "Gerber seemed to fit that."