St. Clair County OKs group home despite opposition from neighbors, Shiloh mayor
A group home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will soon open in a Shiloh neighborhood after St. Clair County granted approval, despite opposition from the mayor and several neighbors.
The group home is known as a community integrated living arrangement. These state-regulated programs allow people with disabilities to live relatively independently in the community with a few housemates and support staff.
Chicago-based nonprofit Envision Unlimited will run the program in a four-bedroom house at 917 Mayfair Drive in the adjoining subdivisions of Fox Glenn and Hunters Crossing off North Green Mount Road. The organization bought the property last year for $265,000.
It needed a special use permit to allow four people with disabilities to live there because county zoning rules restrict houses to no more than three unrelated residents. Most of the neighborhood is within the village limits, but Mayfair Drive is in St. Clair Township between Shiloh and Belleville.
Some neighbors told the St. Clair County Zoning Board they do not want a group home in their neighborhood of single-family residences.
Shiloh Mayor Bob Weilmuenster said he spoke out against it to support residents who worry the group home will lower property values and those who have safety concerns based on experiences with another nonprofit’s group home in the same neighborhood at 3248 Cloverridge Lane.
In 2024, a 22-year-old man ran away from Alton-based Residential Options Inc.’s group home naked and smashed a neighbor’s landscaping lights with a two-by-four. Police and EMS responded to the neighborhood and took the man to a local hospital for a psychological evaluation to address mental health conditions.
It was the 24th time a resident ran away from the group home since 2021, according to police reports and dispatch call logs compiled by village officials to share with the zoning board. All but two of the incidents involved a woman in her 40s who has a mental disability.
Often, employees followed but called police or EMS for assistance getting her back to the group home or to a hospital for evaluation because the staff members “have to remain hands off,” according to one employee’s call requesting help in 2022.
Residential Options’ leaders did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.
In the past 10 years, the nonprofit reported its largest workforce in 2021 with 360 employees. Staffing dropped by more than 100 workers by 2024, when it reported 256 employees. It owns four other homes in St. Clair and Madison counties.
Envision Unlimited is a larger operation, with nearly 100 properties and 1,625 employees in 2024.
County Zoning Board Chairman Scott Penny deferred comment on the decision-making process to board attorney Dave Schneidewind.
Put simply, denying the request would have been illegal under the federal Fair Housing Act, Schneidewind said.
“Even though there’s public opposition, we still have to go by what federal law requires us to do,” Schneidewind said.
Resident Shannon Stelling said she waited hours to speak out at zoning board hearings while the board considered other issues only to feel like her concerns about safety did not matter.
“We had a hearing because they had to listen to us because we’re residents of the county, but the decision had already been made,” she said. “That was very frustrating.”
Envision Unlimited addressed the opposition in a statement to the Belleville News-Democrat.
“We understand that new developments can bring questions, and we respect the perspectives shared during the zoning board process,” Envision Unlimited stated. “We remain committed to being a good neighbor — maintaining open communication, addressing concerns, and ensuring that the home enhances the fabric of the community.
“... At the heart of this effort is a simple belief: everyone deserves the opportunity to live in a home of their own, within a community that supports and includes them. We are grateful for the opportunity to help make that possible in St. Clair County.”
‘Should it be here?’
Lisa Walker, a resident of the neighborhood, said she witnessed the 2024 incident when she was out for a walk, and it left her worried for her children and grandchildren.
She recently recounted the experience to neighbors.
“I was scared walking with him running towards me with a two-by-four, stark naked, out of the blue, and then I was like, ‘Thank God, I didn’t have my grandkids with me,’” Walker told them.
In the neighborhood discussion, Walker and another resident, John Young, questioned whether the group home provided adequate care and supervision to the residents.
“We’re all in agreement that these residents need a safe place to be — 100%,” Walker said. “Should it be here? No. Do they need to watch their workers closer? Yes.”
Resident Sebastian Vassallo said that was an isolated incident. The man involved was removed from the home, and only one resident is there now, according to Vassallo, who lives next door.
“Ever since that situation happened, there has been nothing. It’s been quiet,” Vassallo said. “The resident is super sweet.”
Vassallo and neighbor Aric Samm, who lives across the street, said having a group home in the neighborhood does not bother them.
“I don’t think there’s any problem at all. … I don’t know why there is one,” Samm said during the discussion. “They can be here. Everyone needs a home.
“This is mountains out of mole hills,” he added.
Envision Unlimited CEO Mark McHugh told the zoning board that four adults, typically 22 years or older, would live in its group home. Three to four staff members would assist residents during the day, and one staff member would work overnight, he said.
Residential zoning dispute
In an email to the zoning board obtained through a public records request, Weilmuenster argued the Mayfair Drive house is within Shiloh’s zoning jurisdiction, which extends to unincorporated areas just outside village limits.
He asked the board to follow Shiloh’s rules limiting where group homes can operate; they are not allowed in single-family residential districts, like the subdivision.
“This requirement protects the single-family character, density, and traffic patterns of established neighborhoods,” Weilmuenster wrote to the board in December.
But Schneidewind, the board attorney, said that under the federal anti-discrimination law, a group home is considered a single-family residence with accommodations.
The issue is the subject of proposed state legislation.
A bill introduced in 2025 would prohibit municipalities from using zoning mandates to block group homes. It passed the Illinois House this spring. The Senate has not yet voted.
The St. Clair County Zoning Board held two public hearings on the group home application.
Schneidewind said eight people spoke against it in December, and three in April. The mayor spoke at each hearing.
County Board member Sue Gruberman spoke in favor, saying it provides a needed resource for the community. She is a Democrat representing District 22, which includes Shiloh.
Attendees estimated about 30 people from the neighborhood came to listen.
St. Clair County Board members approved the plan at their meeting April 27, after the zoning board voted unanimously to recommend granting the application.
