County Asks for Postponement of Wednesday’s Dimucci Hearing

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.