Immanuel Hall Zoning Dispute: Plan Commission Wants Compromise

A few of Immanuel Hall’s neighbors say some events at the building are disruptive and not allowed by its special-use permit. The Hinsdale Historical Society's president says that permit needs updating.

Hinsdale’s plan commissioners seemed to fall somewhere in between during Wednesday night’s public hearing on the issue.

The plan commission did not make a recommendation on the historical society’s proposed amendment to Immanuel Hall’s special-use permit that would expand the uses allowed at the 113-year-old landmark located in a residential zone at the corner of 3rd and Grant streets, choosing instead to task a small group of stakeholders with finding a compromise.

The amendment was proposed after village staff notified the historical society that it had reviewed the current special-use permit for Immanuel Hall and preliminarily determined that some of the building’s uses do not conform. 

READ: Hinsdale’s Immanuel Hall Focus of Zoning Dispute

Several residents of the 200 block of 3rd stepped to the microphone Wednesday night to voice opposition to the historical society’s proposed amendment, which would have OK’d activities at the building including:

“classes, forums, workshops and lectures; meetings, receptions and social and organizational events such as marriage and memorial ceremonies, anniversaries and fund raisers; archives, museum, storage; sales, shows and exhibitions; performing arts programs, such as rehearsals, plays, recitals and concerts; and similar events and activities that may evolve or be created in the future.”

There was a range of opposing opinions shared by Immanuel Hall neighbors.

VIDEO: Residents Speak Out on Immanuel Hall Uses

Doug Bemiss, whose wife Randi first brought to the possible permit violations to the village’s attention, used a recent Robert Crown fundraising event as an example how “Immanuel Hall is being used as a frat house” on some weekends and interpreted the proposed amendment as the zoning code being brought in line with current practice, instead of vice versa.

“I actually don’t think much is going to change if you approve it because basically what they’re asking you to do is ratify what they’re already been doing and what they’ve been doing,” Bemiss said.

Ann Smith, meanwhile, said she supports the historical society’s operation of Immanuel Hall and the occasional large event at the building is OK with her and her husband, Tom. Her concern is the lack of specific limits on event frequency in the proposed amendment.

“It could really turn into a party there every weekend and that’s not what the historical society intended that building to be used for,” Smith said.

Hinsdale Historical Society President Cindy Klima told commissioners her organization—which purchased Immanuel Hall in 2001 and has since been allowed by the village to hold most of the events detailed above other than weddings, memorial services, anniversaries, and fundraisers—is proposing the amendment at the village’s request and does not want to increase the frequency of large events at Immanuel Hall.

“We simply want to continue to do business as we have for the last 12 years,” Klima said.

Holding classes and social events at Immanuel Hall generates revenue the society needs to operate, Klima said.

Several residents and historical society officials spoke about the importance of Immanuel Hall events to the historical society and in favor of the proposed amendment. Among them was Jan Grisemer, who said it was impossible to put together a succinct list of uses for a refurbished Immanuel Hall at the time the building was purchased.

"Now that we have some idea of its usefulness, a clearer definition of allowable activities under its current zoning designation would assist the historical society and its sincere desire to be a good neighbor," Grisemer said. 

Plan commissioners Luke Stifflear said Immanuel Hall is a valuable part of Hinsdale and deserves some slack. But if he were a neighbor, he’d likely have similar concerns about the proposed amendment as Smith and others do.

“I think it’s way, way too open-ended,” Stifflear said.

Fellow commissioners Julie Crnovich and Jim Brody also said they had concerns with the wording of the amendment.

The plan commission endorsed Stifflear’s idea to create a small committee made up of representatives from the Hinsdale Historical Society, the Immanuel Hall neighborhood, and the plan commission to find a compromise.

A compromised amendment proposal is expected to be developed in time for the commission's June 12 meeting, when commissioners could vote to decide whether or not to recommend an amendment to Immanuel Hall’s special-use permit up the chain to the Zoning and Public Safety (ZPS) Committee of the Hinsdale Board of Trustees.

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