The Joliet Plan Commission on Thursday gave preliminary approval to Joliet Catholic Academy’s plan to build an on-campus football stadium amid opposition from several neighbors and even one City Council member.

JCA also brought supporters, including one council member and the head of the Joliet-based religious order that owns the land.

“It was extremely important to us, the Franciscans who still own the property, that the land be used to enhance our mission,” said Sister Jeanne Bessette, president of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate.

For supporters and opponents, the project is about more than a football stadium.

“These are all outsiders,” neighbor Peter White said, repeatedly stating that proponents of the stadium do not live in the neighborhood that borders JCA.

“I’m just so upset about it, that you would let these people push this into a neighborhood – a nice, quiet neighborhood,” White said to the commission.

The commission voted 5-0 in favor of the plan that would expand JCA sports facilities onto the grounds of the former Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home.

Plans include new tennis and pickleball courts, renovated baseball and softball fields, and other additions to the campus in a Planned Unit Development.

The commission’s vote is a recommendation to the Joliet City Council, which has final say on the project.

The JCA plan is likely to go on the council’s Dec. 16 agenda, although a date for the vote has not been set.

Two council members were at the Plan Commission meeting, giving a preview of how they are likely to vote.

Council member Jan Quillman urged the commission to table a vote and voiced support for the neighbors.

“These folks have lived there a long time,” Quillman said. “They didn’t ask for any bright lights.”

Stadium lights, noise and traffic have been the biggest concerns neighbors raised.

On the other side was council member Pat Mudron, a JCA alum who won a state wrestling title at the school in the 1960s. Mudron did not speak to the commission but raised his hand along with others when the commission asked for a show of support for the JCA plan.

Ryan Quigley, director of institutional advancement at JCA, repeatedly has said the project is about more than football.

He said other school sports that stand to receive improved facilities from the plan, including baseball, soccer, track and tennis.

Quigley also talked about the excitement of Friday football game nights for the student body.

“It doesn’t matter if you even like football,” Quigley said. “It’s a community event.”

Quigley said JCA has raised almost $12.6 million so far for the campus expansion project. Some potential donors are waiting to see whether JCA gets city approval, he said.

JCA plans to control the impact of those events on the nearby residents with traffic plans that include the possibility of barricading neighborhood streets on football game nights.

Neighbors opposed to the plan said they were worried about how those game-night plans will work out.

“Ingalls and Wyoming [avenues] are our exits out of the neighborhood,” said Jori Gura, adding that one plan from JCA suggests neighborhood streets could be barricaded on game nights to prevent access by football fans.

The school is adding parking spaces on campus from the current 481 to 933.

The stadium is expected to host between four and eight varsity football games a year. The stadium will have 5,500 seats with standing-room capacity, expanding attendance to almost 7,000.

JCA now plays football at Memorial Stadium on Jefferson Street. The stadium has a capacity for 10,000 and 1,093 parking spaces, according to the school’s presentation.

JCA officials said they want the stadium and other improved sports facilities to enhance student experience and provide what other schools have to offer.

“We just want to make sure our kids and our campus have the same facilities as other schools do,” JCA Principal and President Jeff Budz told the commission. “We truly want to invest in our school, invest in our future, invest in our community.”