At the April 9 meeting, the Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission approved a special use permit allowing a vacant building at 18219 Dixie Highway to be converted into professional office space for the Live Free 999 Foundation.

The proposal, submitted by property owner Carmela Wallace, calls for renovating the former Mama and Me Pizzeria building into the foundation’s administrative headquarters. The nonprofit, started in 2021, focuses on funding and supporting preventative mental health services and substance abuse recovery programs for teens and adults. Wallace said she created the foundation in honor of her late son, Jarad Higgins, also known as Juice WRLD. 

According to Noah Schumerth, Homewood assistant director of economic and community development, the 4,425-square-foot building, constructed in 1950, has been vacant since the restaurant closed in 2022. Wallace, who also owns the adjacent Homewood Brewing Company, purchased the property the same year. 

The site is zoned B-2 Downtown Transition, where professional offices larger than 2,500 square feet require a special use permit. Commissioners determined the project met the village’s special use standards, citing minimal anticipated traffic and compatibility with surrounding office and commercial uses, Schumerth said. 

Although the office will require 15 parking spaces under village code, only 14 are available on-site. Commissioners approved the project with the condition that the applicant obtain an administrative variance to reduce the requirement by one space. The neighboring Homewood Brewing Company parking lot, which Wallace also owns, provides additional parking capacity of 46 spaces, he said.  

Another condition of approval requires the addition of one Americans with Disability Act accessible parking space near the rear entrance to comply with the 2018 Illinois Accessibility Code, Schumerth said. 

As for the access point to the parking lot on the side of the building, it is less than 20 feet and narrow, creating a potential concern, Commission Member William O’Brien said. 

“That particular access is, to me, if you’re coming out of it, a blindside,” O’Brien said, adding, “there could be a problem there.”

O’Brien suggested installing a stop sign there, to which Wallace agreed. 

According to Schumerth, no major site changes are planned. The renovation will focus primarily on interior improvements and exterior upgrades. This will include repairs to the building’s exterior, a new color palette of gray, purple and black reflecting the foundation’s branding, as well as updated lighting and a new purple awning. Existing upper-level windows, currently covered, will be reopened to allow more natural light into the building. 

The project also includes replacing the existing mural on the south façade, a portrayal of village Fourth of July celebrations. Because the village maintains an agreement to preserve the current mural, any replacement will require review by the Appearance Commission and final approval by the village board. The village plans to replicate or relocate the existing artwork elsewhere in the community. Thomas Melvin, the artist of the artwork, had been contacted by the village to create a replica of the mural. Wallace will be responsible for funding the removal and replacement of the mural, Schumerth said. 

The property will be used solely as a private office for the foundation. The offices will feature open workspaces and meeting rooms, a lounge, a podcast studio and a small merchandise area, Wallace said. 

“My goal is to create a space where we can work effectively towards the cause of mental health and normalizing conversation about it,” Wallace said.