Darien's 'Magnet For Shadiness' Going Down
DARIEN, IL – Neighbors wanted a long-abandoned dental office on Plainfield Road to be torn down. This week, Darien aldermen voted to do so.
The office is on Plainfield Road at Lester Lane.
Ron Price, who has lived on Lester Lane for about 25 years, said the building has long been a problem.
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“We’ve watched it go downhill, especially over the last couple of years, where it has deteriorated down to where there’s broken windows,” Price said at Monday’s City Council meeting. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to get better.”
His neighbor, Phil Litchfield, agreed. At one point, he said he called authorities when he saw someone trying to break into the old office, which he believed resulted in an arrest.
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“I wanted to again really emphasize that this is a concern that we have on the street,” Litchfield said. “I’ve never really known any issues in Darien before, but to the extent that there is any sort of magnet for shadiness, it’s probably that building.”
According to city records, the building is full of code violations, including with its plumbing and electrical systems. Other issues included broken windows and a flooded basement.
In recent months, police have found suspected medical waste on the property.
“There was water in the basement, two or three feet,” Dan Gombac, the municipal services director, told the council. “If someone had fallen down the stairs, no one would have ever known because it is dark.”
At the meeting, the council unanimously voted to pay a contractor $33,000 to demolish the building.
The city plans to put liens on the building to cover the demolition and thousands of dollars in other expenses.
Alderman Ted Schauer thanked city officials for their work on the property.
“We’ve been really going to town on it,” he said.
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