A Naperville nonprofit offering chicken therapy to those with special needs is hoping to continue operations at its current location as it seeks to find a permanent site that can accommodate the program.
Touch My Heart chicken therapy program
Naperville residents Richard and Wendy Montalbano said they have a heart for the special needs community. But their three-year-old philanthropic operation in the backyard of their residence has caused squawking within the neighborhood.
The Montalbanos are the founders of Touch My Heart, which specializes in chicken therapy. Since the program’s inception, special needs recipients have been greeted with the joy of interacting with trained chickens.
But the organizers, who have hosted the visits and their feathered friends in the backyard of their single-family residence near Flambeau Drive and Peshtigo Avenue, have run afoul of city regulations.
Multiple municipal code variances sought
The Montalbanos are seeking authority from Naperville decision-makers to continue operating their chicken therapy practice out of their yard into the foreseeable future.
For this scenario to play out, however, city officials will have to approve a number of technical details — most notably, increasing the number of permissible chickens on premises from the standard maximum of eight at any given time. Currently, the Montalbanos have 17 chickens.
After lengthy deliberation, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission at its July 19 meeting voted, 7-2, with a favorable recommendation for operations to remain on-site for no longer than 18 months. Commissioners also recommended setting a 12-chicken threshold and requiring the installation of fencing.
The recommendation advances to the city council for further deliberation and potential action next month.
Richard Montalbano implored city officials to give he and his wife the authority to continue operating, citing the unique nature of the organization and its mission statement.
Speaking to the target audience of adult-aged residents with special needs, he said, “There’s little resources for them. They are the most underserved and invisible part of communities. We want them to know that they are loved and valued.”
Residents give different takes on organization’s impact
A number of residents — including several living close to the Montalbanos — have provided verbal and written testimony to city officials about the current state of Touch My Heart, which has been expanding its operation as its popularity has grown.
Eric and Stacy Rush, who are neighbors of the Montalbanos, had previously contacted the city’s code enforcement office and sent the department photographs of the chicken coops and other accessory structures.
“We appreciate and respect the Montalbanos’ desire to provide a service to the community,” the Rushs wrote in an email to the city. “However, an operation of this magnitude should not be in a neighborhood in Naperville. It should be located in a rural setting with larger lots to accommodate the number of chickens they currently have.”
But Curt and Sabrina Riemer, who live across the street from the Montalbanos, gave a different take on the operation.
“The work (the Montalbanos) do with many organizations is nothing less than amazing, and I hope that you take all of this into consideration as you make a decision on their petition for approval of variances,” Curt Riemer said.
Efforts underway for new, permanent location for operation
The Montalbanos have indicated they are in the process of seeking a long-term site on a larger plot of land for their feathered therapy fowl and the organization’s activities.
Richard Montalbano said relocation efforts for Touch My Heart were slowed by the pandemic, alongside the organization’s growth. In addition to seeking a long-term site, he said funds will have to be raised to relocate the structures.
During deliberations, commissioners indicated their vote was not focused on the validity of the operation, but rather was centered on land use.
“We can’t allow it to continue into perpetuity,” commissioner Derek McDaniel said. “We need to operate within the guidelines that we have in place.
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