Haymarket Center Files Discrimination Lawsuit After Village Of Itasca Rejects Plan For Addiction Treatment Center

ITASCA, Ill. (CBS) -- The Haymarket Center is not giving up its plan to open an addiction treatment center in west suburban Itasca.

In November, the Village of Itasca rejected a plan to open the center at an old hotel. On Tuesday, the center filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the village.

Objections to opening the drug treatment center at the old Holiday Inn date back more than two years.

In October 2019, a community meeting on the subject had to be moved to Roselle because there wasn't a big enough venue in Itasca. Neighbors seemed to agree on the need for a drug treatment facility in DuPage County – but there was a disconnect on where it should be.

Meanwhile, a drive through Itasca back then revealed opinions plastered on lawns and even businesses. The message was "no Haymarket."

Haymarket Center, the Chicago-based substance treatment facility has been looking to provide a treatment center for more than 200 people to address both overdose deaths and non-fatal overdoses in DuPage County.

The nonprofit will not pay property taxes, but in 2019 promised more jobs than the hotel offered.