Vacant Holy Cross School In Deerfield Could See Students Return

DEERFIELD, IL — Students would return to the halls of the shuttered Holy Cross School in Deerfield under a proposal from a private school for students with learning disabilities. The Cove School in Northbrook hopes to move its high school students and expend its offerings to serve young adults up to age 22, according to documents submitted the Deerfield Plan Commission. A site plan accompanying the school's proposal suggested the nonprofit would lease 70 percent of the 720 Elder Lane location from the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The Cove School currently serving 170 students with individualized educational programs up to 12th grade. It is financed by school districts who refer students with extensive needs, as well as families who enroll students and pick up the tuition costs themselves. The school has outgrown its Northbrook facility, while also looking to expand its service to people aged 18 to 22, according to a project description from the school's architects.

Because the Holy Cross Church and campus is within an area zoned for single-family residential use, the proposed high school would require a special use permit. Additionally, because the Cove School wants to also offer programs for adults, it will also need an amendment to village code since there's currently no provision that would allow such post-secondary programs, even with a special use permit, according to a memo from village planners.

According to the project description from the Cove School's architects, the high school program will have about 80 to 100 students and 50 staff members. There will be another 10 to 15 staff members and 20 to 30 students in the proposed post-secondary program.

The maximum number of people on campus would be 230 – 140 students, 80 teachers and 10 administrators. A traffic impact statement produced by transportation consultants suggested there would be minimal impact to parking and congestion from the Cove School plan.

There were 112 students attending Holy Cross School when the archdiocese announced in January it would close at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Holy Cross was one of five Catholic schools in the area to close due to "low enrollment, financial difficulties and other factors."

The Cove School Executive Director Sally Sover told commissioners at an Aug. 9 meeting the school did not expect to be filling all of the school's classrooms, the Deerfield Review reported. A public hearing on the permit before the Deerfield Plan Commission is set for Sept. 13.

The plan commission's recommendation will then go before the village board, which must approve any special use permits and amendments to village zoning code.

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