County Asks for Postponement of Wednesday’s Dimucci Hearing
County staff agrees to meet with Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington officials to discuss controversial rezoning at Old McHenry Road and Rte. 12.
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The Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is scheduled to meet for the second public hearing on rezoning and PUD of the Dimucci property on Rte. 12, on Wednesday, July 25. However, the meeting may be very short as the County will request a postponement until Aug. 15.
The County sent this communication, this afternoon, to media and residents on the County's email update list regarding the Dimucci property:
“Throughout the Dimucci property development review process, numerous public calls have been made for the County and the Villages of Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington to meet and discuss the project. Prior to the villages making comments to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), the County and the villages have agreed to meet and discuss the project. Therefore we are requesting a postponement of Wednesday's scheduled ZBA hearing, until Wednesday, August 15.
The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet, as scheduled, on Wednesday, July 25 at 5 p.m. At the beginning of this meeting, the ZBA will consider the postponement request and take action. If the ZBA decides to grant the request for a postponement, no further business will be conducted and the meeting will be adjourned. If the ZBA decides to postpone the hearing, the County will provide notice of the new date and time through this email notification and on the website.
For more information, please visit www.lakecountyil.gov/dimucciproperty.”
North Barrington and Hawthorn Woods are in opposition to the proposal saying it ignores an intergovernmental agreement between the villages and does not follow the Lake County Framework Plan. Lake County staff is recommending approval of the Dimucci requests for rezoning from residential to commercial and a Planned Unit Development (PUD).
Update 6:40 p.m., July 24
Pam Newton, chief operating officer for Hawthorn Woods, said the village is pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the proposal directly with the county.
"We're very pleased to have the opportunity to sit down and discuss municipal concerns face to face with with Lake County and have been asking for that for several months," Newton said.
Eric Waggoner, director of Planning, Building and Development for Lake County, said the county will meet with the mayors, but the dates for meetings have not been set and will not be public.
"The proposal still has to continue with the Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing process, so any meeting outcomes would be subject to public discussion at the ZBA," he said.
Update, July 31
The ZBA voted to postpone the public hearing until Aug. 15. However, numerous residents and organization representatives were opposed to the postponement, voicing concerns that they would not be allowed at the meetings between the villages and county.
Say it isn't so
7:39 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Why NOT PUBLIC?? Lisa Madigan...... Thats your pager going off! PLEASE make it public!
Deborah Barry
4:34 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
If these meetings are to be help privately, we would need to hear under what exception to the Open Meetings Act. I see noneother than the possible sale of the property .
Let's not see the village compound the errors of theu Dimuccis and County staff
The Oracle
9:24 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Actually, under the Open Meetings Act, they can meet without the public as long as a majority of a quorum of either Board is not present. For example, if a Board has 7 members like Hawthorn Woods, a quorum is 4 and a majority of a quorum is 3. So as long as no more than 2 are present, they can meet.
So it might be legal under the Open Meetings Act, but is it right????
Say it isn't so
6:45 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I am listening....................
moveover
11:17 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
This concept of "secret meetings" is silly. Any business conducted is in the open. Do people really think that villages, counties, ect NEVER meet in private with developers, contractors, suppliers, ect? How the heck would anything get done if this was the case? There are no "secret meetings", just business meetings that occur every single day with every single government entity.
This latest news is good news, no great news. It sounds like the county and the owner have finally decided to sit and talk with the villages. Hopefully this results in some kind of solution for this issue. If not, everyone get ready for 5 years of litigation and lawyers lining their pockets.
Say it isn't so
2:38 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
This is different! This is a case of the old "Girlfriend" does not like the new "Girlfriend"! North Barrington and Hawthorn Woods had the opportunity and they said NO.... now comes reality again and they dont like that they are going to get no money so they are pissed! They can make intergovernmental agreements all they want but no one talked to the land owner.... The agreement is between NB and HW, not the county, not the land owner. PLEASE make this meeting open to the public as Pino does not speak for all of NB and the same with HW. Its always the couple hundred people of the Five thousand people that squauk. NB and HW should pony up to the land owner with some type of "incentive" to come to their municipality!
Deborah Barry
6:43 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
Let's insert a few facts: There may be ill feelings between neighboring govs, but there's new blood every 2 years. Step 1 should have been for Dimucci to ask, where are these villages TODAY.
Second, it is exactly because these discussions with developers take place behind closed doors that a) the residents and biz people are in the dark and b) property owner can be denied a developer/ment w/o any input from ELECTED officials.
Certainly real estate tran$action$ should be private; but the broad strokes of development--nothing like sunshine for a disinfectant! Let the competition begin...we'll have better prices for property owner, better developers and a race to locate in our communities.
County staff should work for ALL the people, not just one property owner. Two and a half years on this? Obscene.
Finally, whatever happens, residents and biz people in region are entitle to testify and cross examine, as already committed. Community imput is NOT optional.
Say it isn't so
7:05 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
Politician alert........