Will County Board to consider approval of drug rehabilitation center

The Will County Board is expected to consider approval of a special use permit for a rehabilitation center in Joliet Township to treat those with drug and alcohol addictions.

The rehabilitation center is proposed for 2019 Chicago St. in Joliet Township, just off Route 53. The applicant is Bipin Sharma, who owns two other centers through his company, Existential Counselor Society.

Sharma asked the board during its meeting last month to support his project. He said he purchased the property in late 2019 with the goal of creating a “very beautiful rehab facility” and that he chose the property due to its location with limited neighbors. The board tabled discussion on the matter.

The nearly 43,000-square-foot property on Chicago Street was previously used by the Fraternal Order of Eagles as a club and tavern, according to county documents.

“My previous facilities have provided a much-needed service to a population that is typically written off,” Sharma said. “I wanted to continue my personal mission and continue to provide treatment to people struggling with addiction.”

Sharma’s two other facilities include one at 2319 Manhattan Road in Joliet Township, and another at 1225 Richards St. in Joliet. He added that he has self-funded each of his rehabilitation centers.

The county’s Planning and Zoning Committee approved Sharma’s proposal, provided he meet certain conditions such as allowing county agencies to inspect the premises for compliance with the terms of the special use permit.

Still, two residents living in the nearby Sugar Creek subdivision appeared at that meeting to oppose the plan.

Leonard Littlepage, 62, said he’s lived in his house on Carriage Lane since the mid-1990s. While Littlepage said he didn’t oppose the project because it was a rehabilitation center, he’s frustrated the residents who live in the area haven’t seen the kinds of developments they want nearby such as a grocery store.

“We don’t have any issues with a facility to help people because we all have issues,” Littlepage said. “But everything they don’t want ... they want to put it in our neighborhood.”

Littlepage said he mostly was referring to the several warehouses along the Route 53 corridor south of Interstate 80, which have contributed to major traffic in the area. He said the traffic already makes it difficult for his neighbors to drive in and out of their neighborhood.

The Will County Board meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday at the county office building in Joliet.