Following are some of the articles published by The Observer for the months of July and August in recent years. These articles, gathered from various publications and editorials, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
Village Board considering ZBA proposal on horse boarding – July 2011
ZBA chair Judith Freeman presented a proposal to address horse boarding codes in the Village at the July BOT meeting. President Abboud deferred discussion/comment by the board of the ZBA proposal until the August BOT meeting to allow time for trustees to further consider the proposal.
The ZBA proposal calls for any property owner that boards ten (10) horses or more within the Village on R-1 properties to be classified as “Commercial” and residents boarding nine (9) or fewer horses would be allowed to conduct their businesses under the “Home Occupation Ordinance.”
The proposal can be viewed here.
Another blame game – July 2012
Monday evening the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) discussed public comments on the commercial horse boarding amendment to the Home Occupation Ordinance (HOO). During that meeting several members of the ZBA, most notably Chairperson Judith Freeman and Kurt Anderson, expressed their condescending opinions that residents who opposed the amendment failed to understand it. Anderson, quoted in the Daily Herald cited what he called “a campaign of both disinformation and misinformation.”
Anderson is somewhat correct, as there has been an ongoing campaign to obfuscate the entire issue of expanding commercial boarding within Barrington Hills. But the campaign is not being waged by opponents of commercial activity; it is being waged by our own Village leadership and administration. And, it is a campaign of distraction, misinformation and spin.
Read the original editorial and comments here.
Our views on two horse boarding amendment proposals – July 2014
The Zoning Board of Appeals will conduct a public hearing Monday, July 21st at 7:30 PM at Countryside School related to two proposed horse boarding text amendment proposals* submitted earlier this month.
Last week, The Observer summarized some of the highlights of the two proposals, such as hours of operations and allowable horse population (see“July 21 Zoning Board Public Hearing announced”). We have also commented on the apparent conflicts of interests stemming, in part, from these proposals. Additional scrutiny of the proposals has led to some very troubling questions and discoveries.
The original article can be read here.
Deer Park board votes to withdraw from BACOG – July 2015
The Deer Park Village Board voted to end their membership in the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) during their last monthly meeting held on Monday, July 20th, by a vote of 4-1.
At their June meeting, the Deer Park board questioned Janet Agnoletti, Executive Director of BACOG, on a number of issues, including the way membership dues were determined among the various members. Specifically, one board member questioned why the Deer Park share was so high, given the size and population of Deer Park in comparison to other BACOG members.
Read the original Observer article, including comments here.
Horse boarding continues to draw controversy in Barrington Hills – August 2011
Barrington Hills officials agree the village’s ordinance on home businesses needs tweaking to deal with large commercial horse boarders on residential properties, but they disagree on what exactly needs to be done.
The board held a joint meeting with the Zoning Board of Appeals this week to discuss the ordinance amendment ZBA members are currently working on. The Board of Appeals is looking at requiring large boarding operations, defined as 10 or more horses, to acquire a special use permit to the Home Occupation Ordinance. That ordinance allows people to run small businesses — everything from music lessons to attorney’s offices — from their homes.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune article here.
Why Barrington Hills must change – August 2014
In his WTTW documentary “Northwest of Chicago,” Geoffrey Baer quoted a local source who declared Barrington Hills, Barrington and South Barrington to be “North shore communities without the shore.” This may have been true when the show first aired, but this is far from accurate today.
Read any recent real estate report on the average time on the market for homes in our area and you’ll find our Village bests all others for the wrong reasons. Barrington Hills homes consistently have the longest time on the market and lead at the lowest sale price compared to the original asking price. Home and lot values have plunged to prices not seen in over a decade.
Read more of the editorial, including comments, here.
Northwest Herald article misstates Longmeadow Parkway facts, polls readers – 2015
Today’s print and web-based editions of the Northwest Herald contain the same article published in the Kane County Chronicle Friday (see “Longmeadow Parkway project slated for 2016 start despite growing opposition”) regarding Barrington Hills’ opposition to the Longmeadow Parkway project. Unfortunately, both articles, written by the same reporter, contain the following statement:
“After years of support, which included a successful 2006 advisory referendum, the Barrington Hills Village Board in June stated it now opposes the parkway.”
The Village of Barrington Hills has never posed a referendum question on any ballot pertaining to the Longmeadow Parkway project.
Read the original article and comments here.
-The Observer
Leave a Reply