Providence Farm once again before Northbrook plan commission

A repeat of what happened more than five years ago, one man called it.

The discussion at the Jan. 3 Northbrook Plan Commission meeting likely was not as lively as the previous time the Providence Farm proposal came up.

Back then, the man said, some prospective neighbors of what now is the Providence Farm extended care home at 1620 Sunset Ridge Road had characterized the 18- to 30-year-old men who would use the facility as "pedophiles."

In reality Providence Farm's temporary residents were seeking recovery from substance abuse, trauma and mental health issues, after they'd completed treatment elsewhere. After much debate and a slim plurality vote by the plan commission, in 2017, the Northbrook village board approved the proposal.

Now, with 110 families served, the business' former opponents had been swayed by the lack of drama, Providence Farm owner Stephanie Zwilling said.

Northbrook Police Chief Christopher Kennedy vouched for Providence Farm, saying he'd feel safer living close to people working on their sobriety than to those who were not.

Last Oct. 11, Zwilling successfully appealed the village board to amend a special-use permit to operate in a single-family district. Her testimony was that Providence Farm had never committed a violation.

On Jan. 3, Zwilling came to a first public hearing before the plan commission for an application to expand a similar business to serve 12 residents and one overnight staff member in a home she owns at 479 Lee Road.

It's a 6,800-square-foot, two-story home on 1.15 acres. Since around the start of last September, the therapist and social worker has run it as a legal "community house" for seven residents and a staff member.

It's got a semicircular driveway on Lee Road, and an additional driveway bordering Fairway Lane. The maximum number of cars the property could have is eight, with no overnight parking on the Lee Road driveway.

Approving plan commissioners were satisfied with a two-car parking pad and turnaround area added off the Fairway Lane access. Before the close of the meeting they said accessibility of the entrance had to be improved and elements of the Northbrook Climate Action Plan incorporated, as well as the five-year evaluation provision.

Residents who spoke against the proposal didn't like increasing the number of people living in an area zoned R-2 Single Family Residential and their affect on parking and traffic, even if they appreciated what Providence Farm was doing.

One speaker called the proposal a "dormitory," and another said it was an "institutional use."

One commissioner said the increase from eight to 13 people was too steep, and seemed to question whether the motivation was purely financial.

A larger number of residents means increased fellowship and connection, which improves the likelihood of recovery, Zwilling said.

The plan commission voted 7-1 to approve a motion for staff to draft a resolution supporting the application. On Jan. 17, the commission will vote to send the resolution to the village board.

Commission Chair Steven Elisco believed neither Providence Farm's safety record nor its ability to abide by rules were cause for alarm.

"As the old saying is, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting or eating, depending on where you come from," Elisco said. "And we've had 5 1/2 years of eating or tasting."