Trustees To Vote on Latest Sisters of Mercy Proposal

An ongoing dispute between the and the will be one of the major topics at .

Trustees are expected to vote on the latest proposal for Mercy Circle, the retirement center the sisters originally proposed to build at the intersection of 99th Street and Central Park Avenue in 2008.

In 1954, the village gave the land to the Sisters of Mercy under the condition that it would be used for "religious educational purposes." When the sisters proposed the development of a retirement center for members of clergy in 2008, the village filed a lawsuit, along with residents Cathy Manahan and Beth Amado, because the land would not be used for its originally intended purpose.

Recent opposition to the development have included its use, traffic, safety for children walking near the development, joggers in the area and environmental effects on residents who live nearby.

The sisters are now proposing a 110-unit, 146,267 square-foot three-story retirement village that would be limited to all men and women of religious order, “with no possibility for the inclusion of lay people,” according to Bill Figel of Chicago-based Figel Public Relations who’s working with the sisters.

The October 2010 plan proposed a 146-unit, 173,833 square-foot facility that would be open to lay people after a certain amount of time, but under the condition that the sisters would have to petition the village to request that. The latest proposal asks for 82 parking spaces, down from the 108 parking space lot proposed in 2010. Additionally, the sisters are proposing to “increase the setbacks from 99th Street and from the north property line,” said Figel.

Trustees Jerome Bosch and James McQuillan voted against the majority of the board. 

The nearly four-year dispute has reportedly cost the village about $125,000 in legal fees, however deputy village clerk Kim Cericola said that during the litigation, lawyers and trustees have been “taking everything into consideration and will do whatever is best for the village and its residents.”

Click on the document to see how the latest Mercy Citcle proposal compares to the 2010 and 2008 proposals.

To update yourself on the Sisters of Mercy Litigation, READ:

Village Board Rejects Sisters of Mercy Development Proposal

Village to Reach an Agreement with the Sisters of Mercy Litigation Soon

Residents Dropped From Sisters of Mercy Lawsuit to Proceed with Separate Litigation

Residents Opposed to Sisters of Mercy Development Have a Short Deadline for Representation, Funding

Residents Share Concerns About City of Chicago Sisters of Mercy Lawsuit