Orchard Church Neighbors Raise New Concerns

The final day for families renting homes owned by Orchard Evangelical Free Church to move out is next week and the church’s neighbors are worried about what will happen next.

“We believe the situation requires special attention,” neighbor Nabil Quafisheh said this week at a village board meeting.

Orchard Church notified tenants they must leave the homes by May 31. The church wants to build a $1 million parking lot on the properties to alleviate on street parking on Sundays.

While the church has not filed any plans with Arlington Heights, neighbors have been mobilizing for months by raising arguments against the plan to the village board.

Neighbors have questioned whether the church really needs to raze the homes for a parking lot that is needed only on Sundays and have pointed to the loss of tax dollars if families move out of the homes. The church’s plan to remove trees is also a sore point.

The latest point is not an argument but a request that Arlington Heights police provide extra patrols and the code department enforce village codes to keep the homes from becoming neglected while vacant.

Quafisheh’s concern is what will happen once the eight homes are vacated. Vacant homes pose a major safety concern and can illicit criminal activity, he said. He wants to see Arlington Heights police proactively patrol the neighborhood, he said.

Vacant homes also threatened to lower property values especially if homes become neglected, Quafisheh said. He wants to see the village’s code department make sure the homes do not become eyesores.

“We are looking forward to a response from the village on this,” Quafisheh said. “We need to have a proactive law enforcement and code enforcement response.”