The Crystal Lake, Ill., city council has again refused to issue a permit to the Crystal Lake high school district for stadium bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School.
CBS Chicago reports that the council's rejection of a permit is the latest chapter in a two-year battle over the 50-foot high bleachers, which Community High School District 155 built in 2013 without getting permission from the city.
The district’s latest request for a retroactive permit proposed some revisions to the structure, including moving the press box to the other side of the field, and reducing the height of the bleachers, and installing landscaping as a buffer. Council members told school officials that the district would have to move the bleachers to the other side of the football field.
Residents whose homes sit in the shadows of the bleachers sued the district, and a McHenry County judge subsequently ruled that the district violated city zoning laws by installing the bleachers without a permit.
The district was ordered to tear down the bleachers, but an appellate court stayed the order while the school system pursues appeals. The district has appealed the case to the Illinois Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments last month.
