Yesterday, I received this letter from Dr. Lustig confirming Haymarket’s purchase of the Holiday Inn Itasca. In my experience, it is highly unusual for a property to be purchased prior to receiving the necessary zoning approval. This is why, I reached out to Haymarket on Monday asking them to clarify their intentions for their purchase of the Holiday Inn.

The purchase of the property in no way alters the current zoning. Haymarket cannot move forward with its plan to convert the hotel into a permanent drug treatment facility without going through the Plan Commission recommendation process and receiving final approval from the Village Board.

COVID Facility

The Village recently learned that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency has identified the Holiday Inn Itasca as a target COVID facility to be used for:

• Persons who test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals)
• Persons who have been exposed to COVID-19 and do not require hospitalization
• Asymptomatic high-risk persons needing social distancing as a precautionary measure, such as people over 65 or with certain underlying health conditions (respiratory, compromised immunities, chronic disease).

While Haymarket once again Haymarket failed to proactively notify the Village of its intentions, Dr. Lustig’s response to my inquiry confirms this possibility.

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.