The bleacher battle continues in northwest suburban Crystal Lake.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission is reportedly scheduled to hold a hearing on proposed changes to the bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School.
The bleachers have been the center of a controversy between residents and school officials for more than a year.
Area residents sued over Crystal Lake South High School’s renovated stands for their football field, because they said the school didn’t seek permission from the city to build the bleachers. School officials, however, claimed they didn’t need to.
In October, a judge ordered the bleachers be torn down after ruling they violated local laws.
The school district has filed three appeals in the case and has now submitted its application for a special use permit, set to be reviewed at a Wednesday hearing, according to the Northwest Herald.
Under the proposal, a press box would reportedly be moved to a smaller set of bleachers, which back up tennis courts and not homes, bringing the height of the controversial bleachers to about 38 feet.
Moving the press box would also bring the height of the second set of bleachers to about 32 feet.
The Northwest Herald reports that the district would still need a variance for the structures because it is taller than the maximum 15 feet allowed under city zoning rules.
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Officials also plan to recommend a landscape screen made with evergreens and a berm to separate the bleachers from the homes behind them.
Residents have complained that the bleacher height allows for people to see into their homes.
The new bleachers were built over the summer after school officials said the old stands were deemed “structurally unsound.”
The bleachers were reconstructed to eliminate gaps under fans’ feet and now stand just over 47 feet tall and 192 feet wide, officials said. That marks a 5-foot increase in height and more than triples the width of the old bleachers.
The school claims the construction plans were discussed during an “open meeting process” and permits were approved by the regional superintendent. But attorneys for the residents and city argue the district acted improperly when it built the $1.18 million expansion without going through the city zoning ordinance process.
