The Tinley Park Plan Commission on Oct. 2 voted to recommend that the Village Board grant Action Behavioral Centers a special-use permit and site-plan and architectural approval to add a 690-square-foot outdoor play area in front of its tenant space at 8151 180th Street, Suite B.

Staff told the commission the outdoor space is proposed for children ages 2 to 7 who receive applied behavior analysis therapy at the existing special-needs therapy institution. The play area would operate Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the petitioner said it will be limited to no more than seven children at a time in the outdoor space, with therapist-to-child ratios remaining 1-to-1.

The play area will be enclosed with a six-foot wrought-iron fence, have certified playground turf, picnic tables and small play equipment. Staff said the outdoor space increases the intensity of the previously approved use and therefore required a separate special-use review.

Commission comments and the commission’s approval added three conditions to the site-plan motion. Commissioners asked for added vehicle protection where the play area aligns with parking stalls; the commission adopted language requiring bollards and wheel stops as appropriate, a privacy screen around the fence, and replacement plantings if relocated landscaping does not survive. The commission voted unanimously to carry the recommendation; the item is scheduled to go before the Village Board on Oct. 21.

“Adding the outdoor play really kind of adds to the overall therapy experience,” petitioner Connor Coleman said during the hearing. “It just allows for better integration for the kiddos ... and it helps them develop better motor growth skills.”

Commissioners pressed for hardware to reduce the risk of a vehicle striking the fenced area. Commissioner Gatto said he preferred “cement pillars” rather than only curb stops; Commissioner Manning suggested bollards or larger wheel stops to “buffer” the area. Staff and the applicant told the commission they were willing to include bollards, wheel stops or planters as appropriate and to work with village staff on final materials and placement.

Staff presented the special-use standards on the record and said there would be no change to staffing, parking, hours of operation or exterior lighting beyond the proposed play area. The petitioner previously received approval last year for the special-needs therapy institution; staff said any change that increases the intensity of the operation requires a separate zoning entitlement, which is why this public hearing was necessary.

The commission’s site-plan motion described the use as allowed in the M-1 PD (General Manufacturing) Tinley Crossings PUD when the additional outdoor play area receives a special-use approval; the staff report filed Oct. 2 is part of the public record and lists the findings of fact the commission relied upon.

The commission’s recommendation includes: (1) required vehicle protection (bollards and wheel stops or equivalent) where the play area adjoins parking; (2) a requirement that relocated or new landscaping be replaced if plantings do not survive; and (3) a privacy screen around the fence. The commission carried both the special-use recommendation and the site-plan approval by roll-call votes; all members present voted in favor.

The petitioner and staff were told to work with village planning and building staff on final details prior to the Village Board packet.