Monee Grants Permit to Convert Court Street Home Into Two Units

Monee Village Board Meeting | May 27, 2026

Article Summary: The Monee Village Board on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, approved a special use permit allowing applicant Richard Farmer to renovate a long-vacant residence at 5562 W. Court Street into two units, living in one and renting the other.

Court Street Permit Key Points:

• The board adopted the ordinance as Ordinance #2147 on a 5-0 vote.
• The permit allows the home at 5562 W. Court Street, zoned R-1, to be split into two units.
• Farmer, a builder, told trustees he has gutted and is rebuilding the long-neglected property.

MONEE — The Monee Village Board on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, approved a special use permit allowing Richard Farmer to convert a residence at 5562 W. Court Street into two separate units, capping a lengthy and at times colorful exchange between Farmer and trustees.

The ordinance, presented under the attorney’s report, allows Farmer to renovate the home into two units so he can live in one and lease the other to a third party, subject to compliance with all applicable building codes, according to the packet. The property is zoned R-1, and the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals recommended approval at a hearing the prior week, on May 20, 2026.

Farmer, who told trustees he is a builder by trade, described the property as long neglected. He said he purchased it the previous year, found that “there’s two houses there … none of the floors line up, none of the stairs line up, nothing lines up,” and has since gutted the structure entirely. He said aesthetics matter to him and that the rebuilt units would have no exterior staircase, with the upstairs intended as a rental. Each unit, he said, would include three bedrooms and two baths.

The exchange turned to local history when a trustee noted the home had once belonged to a locally known Monee artist. Farmer said a visitor had recently asked to bring photographs of the house by, having learned a painter once lived there.

The motion passed 5-0, with Trustees Youdris, Gonzalez, Horne, Rakis and Wilson in favor; Trustee Henson was absent. The measure was assigned Ordinance #2147.