New Joliet mental health center proposed on Collins Street

Joliet zoning officials on Thursday will consider a plan to convert a former New Century Federal Credit Union building into a mental health center.

The Pilsen Wellness Center wants to open at 971 Collins St., a site once part of the surrounding U.S. Steel complex.

The building, now owned by Pilsen, was last occupied about 2012, according to a city staff report.

Converting it to a mental health center will require city approval of a special-use permit and a variation of use.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the matter when it meets at 2 p.m. Thursday.

The Pilsen Wellness Center was formed in 1975, primarily serving the Latino neighborhoods of Pilsen and Little Village in Chicago, according to its website. It has since expanded to serve nine other Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs, including Cicero, Berwyn and Melrose Park.

The Joliet location is in a primarily Hispanic section of the city.

Collins Street, one of the city’s major commercial corridors, was revived after a period of decline by the arrival of independent Hispanic businesses.

The 1,885-square-foot building, which Pilsen bought in May, is on a half-acre site. It lies between the Azteca de Oro banquet hall and the site of the former U.S. Steel main office building, which burned down in September.