A meeting to consider a planned unit development at Route 12 and Old McHenry Road was postponed Monday afternoon to allow an overflow crowd to adequately see and hear the presentation and discussion.

The Lake County Regional Planning Commission held a special meeting at 3 p.m. Monday in a room at the Ela Area Public Library to discuss whether to grant a planned unit development and rezoning for the Dimucci property, at Route 12 and Old McHenry Road. The Dimucci family is seeking a change from estate to commercial zoning on the 108-acre parcel to allow for a shopping center.

A standing-room-only crowd gathered for the meeting, and even more people stood in the hallway outside of the meeting room. Less than an hour into the meeting, two men — who said they represented North Barrington and Hawthorn Woods — stood and asked that the meeting be halted and scheduled for a later date in a larger location. 

“I have sat where you are sitting. I fought stuff in Libertyville when I was standing out in the hallway, and I recognize that,” said Marvin Raymond, chairman of the Regional Planning Commission. “There's a lot of feelings about this project, and one of the tactics … is to try to postpone it as much as possible.”

“I'm going to rule right now that we're going to continue forward with the presentation that was being given,” said Raymond.

Commission member Nancy Schumm, however, said people should be able to see and hear the meeting. She motioned that the board be polled to determine if the meeting should be rescheduled. The motion passed and the meeting was rescheduled for Feb. 22, with the time and location to be determined.

“I was not surprised by the turnout,” Raymond said after the meeting. “There's a lot of passion here, and I respect that.”

Audience members expressed their opinions during the meeting with laughter and occasional comments. 

John Dimucci, one of the property's owners, said he and his family are aiming to “solve the land use issue that has been associated with this property for quite a long time now.” He said there have been many failed development proposals over the years.

“It's a commercial site. I think everybody knows that,” said Dimucci. His comment resulted in many audience members responding with a loud “no.” 

During his presentation, Dimucci shared photos and charts to show “the natural trend of development” along the Route 12 corridor. 

“It's very obvious that this site is a commercial site,” said Dimucci. “It's a commercial corridor. It's not a residential corridor.”

Dimucci added that Hawthorn Woods' 2004 Comprehensive Plan designates up to 50 acres of the Dimucci property as commercial. 

The proposed plan for the site calls for up to 53 acres of the property being used for commercial development, with the rest of the land being preserved as open space, said Eric Waggoner, director of Lake County's Planning, Building and Development Department. He added that “there is, as of today, no developer for the site.”

“It's a win-win proposal,” said Dimucci.

Mike Dimucci added that the Dimucci Development Pattern Book offers specifics regarding the quality of the development. For example, there must be a mixture of natural materials, canopies only can be used if they're part of the building structure and signs must be architecturally appealing. The family is seeking a height variance of 15 feet — taking the maximum height from 35 to 50 feet — for the development.

Additional details about the project will be shared at the Feb. 22 meeting. At that time, the Lake County Regional Planning Commission will hear residents' comments and decide whether the proposal fits in the county's regional framework plan. The proposal then will have to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals, followed by the Planning, Zoning and Building Committee. The Lake County Board must give the final approval.
 
Hawthorn Woods Trustee Steve Riess encouraged audience members to leave their email addresses so they can receive updates and information. He declined to comment on the proposal.