The Plan Commission will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:
- [Vote] Appoint Secretary
- Tree Preservation Ordinance – Discussion
- Comprehensive Plan – Discussion
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here.
Archive for the ‘Audio Recordings’ Category
Special Plan Commission meeting this evening
Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Aunt Blabby, Comprehensive Plan, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Meeting Minutes, Plan Commission, Politics, Transparency, Tree Preservation Ordinance, Village Attorney, Village Director of Administration, Village Government on February 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Special Plan Commission meeting this evening
Posted in 220, Agendas, Audio Recordings, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, Land Use, Meeting Minutes, Plan Commission, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Village Attorney, Village Code on May 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »
The Plan Commission is scheduled to hold a special meeting this evening starting at 6:30 PM. Items on their agenda include:
- PUBLIC HEARING: An Application for Approval of Sketch Plan for a Single-Family Subdivision of the property located at 01-06-200-021 and 01-06-200-027 (99 & 101 Bateman Road)
- [Vote] An Application for Approval of Sketch Plan for a Single-Family Subdivision of the property located at 01-06-200-021 and 01-06-200-027 (99 & 101 Bateman Road) – See application documents under Public Hearing
A copy of the agenda can be found here.
July Plan Commission meeting recordings released
Posted in Animal Welfare, Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Farm, Commercial Horse Boarding, County, Ethics, Land Use, McHenry, Plan Commission, Taxes, Traffic, Village Board, Village Code, Well Water Quality on July 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Audio recordings from the July 11th meeting of the Plan Commission have been posted to the Village website. One resident made public comments and their remarks can be heard here.
Commissioners spent about an hour thoroughly reviewing the latest draft changes to the Tree Preservation Ordinance, as can be heard here. A special meeting of the Plan Commission has been scheduled for August 9th when a final draft should be completed for vote by the Commission, and then presentation to the Board of Trustees for approval.
The second half of the meeting was mostly devoted to plans to develop a property adjacent to Barrington Hills into a commercial horse boarding, rescue and veterinary facility for HARPS (the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society). It was on the agenda due to the fact that the development falls within the 1.5 mile buffer line drawn around the Village borders during the 2000’s to address border development, such as Insurance Auto Auctions matter in East Dundee a few years ago.
Since the land being used for the facility is in unincorporated McHenry County, permitting and approvals are done by the county, which has so far provided a provisional OK to build. It was asked of Bob Kosin if surrounding neighbors have been notified of the plans, and he responded that McHenry County chose not to inform adjacent residents, which we find odd given the amount of taxes residents on Chapel and Church Roads, as well as Alderberry Lane, pay to the county.
Kosin went on to state that Village building code and stormwater drainage requirements do not apply to this property. Considering the frequency with which Chapel Road floods, sometimes even causing the road to be closed, this should be a concern to the Village since Chapel Road (and Church Road as well) is maintained by Barrington Hills, and this facility will likely increase traffic significantly.
After ensuing discussion, the developer of the property asked to speak. He was asked why the name of the facility in the planned signage was, “Barrington Hills Farm,” when in fact it is not in the Village. He responded, “Well, it w [pause]. Well, it was all our intention to re-annex back to Barrington Hills. But that’s a story for another day.” This exchange can be heard here.
His answer raises two questions. Why didn’t Barrington Hills Farm management petition for re-annexation in 2014 when the property was purchased, and when are they planning to apply for re-annexation?
We highly suspect the answer to the second question is their petition for re-annexation will be coincidental with the 2017 Village political campaign for four seats on the Village Board of Trustees since this developer has been very active behind the scenes in prior elections, as well as being a significant five-figure contributor of campaign funds over the years to local campaign committees.
Later in the meeting, the discussion returned to the notification of neighboring residents regarding the plans for this facility. A member of the commission suggested residents of “Church, Chapel, Haegers Bend, Spring Creek,” be notified by the Village. A protracted discussion followed including precedent, if the Village should be involved, and what scope of residents should be informed.
One commissioner suggested the members vote on whether the Village should inform residents of the planned facility, however, since the Open Meetings Act prohibits a vote on any non-agenda item, suggestion was not pursued. Ultimately, village staff agreed to include information about the proposed HARPS development in the August newsletter, although it is unclear if the county approval process may be over by then.
Days after the Plan Commission meeting, however, Barrington Hills Farm dropped letters in residents’ mailboxes. Unfortunately, the letter was rather vague (a copy can be viewed here) as to the specific location of the planned facility. The following depiction illustrates that location:
Click on image to enlarge
The link to the main menu of recording segments by topic can be accessed by clicking here.
April Plan Commission meeting recordings released
Posted in Audio Recordings, Plan Commission, Village Code on April 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The Plan Commission devoted most of their April 13th meeting to reviewing and improving the Tree Preservation Ordinance. This was their third meeting since November covering the language and terms of the code, and they seem to be nearing a new draft to be considered.
Much of the discussion in the latest meeting surrounded how to enforce the ordinance, and commissioners are leaning toward requiring the building contractor or property owner to deposit funds to cover the cost of replacing heritage trees removed in the process of home construction with the Village. At some point after the new trees are planted and pass inspection, the monies held by the Village would then be returned to the homeowner.
The link to the edited recordings by agenda item can be accessed here.
February Plan Commission meeting recordings released
Posted in Audio Recordings, Plan Commission, Village Code on February 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Audio recordings from the February 8th Plan Commission meeting are available for review on the Village website. Most of the nearly two and a half hour meeting was devoted to review and revision of the Tree Preservation Ordinance.
Two guest speakers began the meeting, each with different perspectives to share with the commission regarding the subject. The first shared her expertise with what have come to be termed “heritage” trees in the area, and the second speaker reviewed tree ordinances that she has encountered in suburban Chicago.
One idea that seemed to pique the interest of some on the commission was requiring the home builder to create an escrow account to cover the cost of planting trees to replace those removed during construction. This is similar to requiring a performance bond of home builders, which some municipalities require as a matter of course through their codes.
Some suggested that if the trees are not replaced by the homeowner after occupancy, then the escrow monies would go to an organization such as Citizens for Conservation, but this might defeat the purpose of ordinance. Perhaps if the homeowner decided to forego reforesting their property, the Village would step in and do so with the funds available.
Copies of the existing ordinance and a newly drafted one were then reviewed, however some commission members would have preferred to see a redlined version which would have been much more productive. Village Administrator Bob Kosin stated he would provide one after the meeting. Copies of the old and new draft ordinance from the meeting can be viewed and downloaded here.
The menu of edited recordings by topic from the meeting can be accessed here.
November Plan Commission meeting recordings available
Posted in 220, Audio Recordings, Land Use, Plan Commission, School Districts, Village Code on November 20, 2015| 4 Comments »
The Plan Commission met on November 9th to discuss three matters, and the recording of their meeting has been posted to the Village website.
The first topic covered was the Tree Preservation Ordinance and how it might be improved. Commissioners heard from a professional forester who had reviewed the Ordinance as well as surveyed properties in the Barrington Hills area. He also presented how other villages in the Chicago area deal with heritage trees and provided his insight.
He found the ordinance to be relatively sound, but improvements could be added. A subcommittee of the Plan Commission was formed to pursue amending the language of the ordinance with the assistance of the forester.
The properties now owned by the Barrington District 220 adjacent to the Village between Hart and Old Hart Roads were then discussed from an informational standpoint. District 220 has no plans for the properties at this time, however an Intergovernmental agreement exists whereby Barrington Hills will have some say in the future proposed development of the land.
Lastly, a five-acre parcel owned by the Village off Route 25 south of Algonquin Road was discussed as it relates to possible uses of the land. Barrington Hills purchased this undeveloped property from District 220 some thirteen years ago, and considerations for possible uses for it were discussed.
The link to the edited recordings from the meeting can be accessed here.
August Plan Commission, Board of Health meeting recordings released
Posted in Audio Recordings, Bicyclists, Board of Health, FPDCC, Plan Commission, Well Water Quality on August 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The Village has released recordings from two meetings that occurred last week.
The Plan Commission met on August 10th, and a representative from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) provided an update on the agency’s efforts to create a biking trail connecting the Old Stover Trailhead at Crabtree Nature Center to the Fox River Bike Trail. No trails are being considered for roads under Village jurisdiction, as CMAP can only implement planning of county or state maintained roads.
The current existing options under consideration by CMAP for bike routes, each of which have differing timelines for possible implementation if chosen, include:
- Poplar Creek Trails & Shoe Factory Rd (nearly complete)
- Penny Rd (requires connectivity through East Dundee)
- Algonquin Rd (long term if IDOT reconstructs roadway)
A direct link to the recording of that presentation can be accessed here. The menu to the edited audio recordings from the complete meeting can be accessed here.
The Board of Health also met last week on August 11th. The primary topic of their meeting was the results of further “Level 2” well water quality test results from various wells throughout the Village. The menu to the edited recording from that meeting can be accessed here.
July 14 Plan Commission meeting recordings released
Posted in Algonquin Rd, Audio Recordings, County, Longmeadow Parkway, McHenry, Plan Commission, Politics, Road construction, Roads and Bridges on July 16, 2014| 6 Comments »
The Village has released recordings from the July 14 Plan Commission meeting. To access the menu of the meeting’s topical audio recording segments, click here.
Residents who live in the vicinity of Haegers Bend Road are advised to listen to the “Barrington Hills Roadway Report” recording to learn more about why, when, and more importantly, with what authority Trustee Patty Meroni and staff began working with McHenry County officials for improvements to the road. As noted in a previous article, this costly initiative to widen the road began in 2012 under the prior administration, but these recordings raise serious concerns about what right these individuals have to negotiate on behalf of the Village and who delegated that authority.
Spring Creek Road residents should also be interested in this recording segment since the recent reclassification of that road in exchange for outside funding was a prime topic of discussion, as is a pledge to McHenry County by Trustee Meroni in 2013 to remove the island at the corner of Spring Creek and Haegers Bend. A direct link to the recording can be accessed here.
As a reminder, Trustee Meroni and her staff are hosting a public hearing this evening on Haegers Bend Rd this evening at Village Hall beginning at 6:00 PM. All available background documentation available to the public can be accessed here.
July 14 Plan Commission agenda and June meeting recordings posted
Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Plan Commission, Roads and Bridges on July 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Attorney General’s office determines April 2013 Village appointments violated OMA
Posted in Audio Recordings, Elections 2013, OMA, Politics, Save 5 Acres, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village President, Zoning Board on June 19, 2014| 8 Comments »
Nearly a year to the day after a concerned resident filed an Open Meetings Act (OMA) violation complaint against the Village, the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently concurred that appointments made by the outgoing village president during his last official Village Board meeting in 2013 violated the terms of the Act.
At issue are dozens of appointments made to boards, commissions and committees during the April 22, 2013, Village Board meeting by outgoing lame duck President Bob Abboud. The agenda for that meeting, which can be viewed here, listed only one line item for his appointments – “10.1 [Approval] Appointments.”
OMA rules require the names of appointees and positions to be noted on agendas and that they be posted for public inspection at least 48 hours in advance of meetings.
According to recently released recordings, current board members present at that 2013 meeting were not given advanced notice of which residents were being appointed or reappointed to what Village bodies and neither was the public.
This ruling is expected to have little effect on most appointed bodies since most of them carry only one year terms, and numerous positions were already renewed or appointed last month with little or no debate. However, our Zoning Board of Appeals members are appointed to five year terms, and there lies the problem.
During the April 22, 2013 meeting, Abboud appointed two residents to the ZBA – one to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of a retiring member; the other was a reappointment of a member whose term had actually lapsed in April of 2012.
It’s expected the Village President and Board of Trustees will address filling any vacancies resulting from the recent ruling at their next scheduled meeting on June 23.
Comments
Thomas Paine on Despite widespread local oppos… joefargo3767 on IRS: Illinois led nation in ra… Tomato, tomahto on Despite widespread local oppos… mXc on Despite widespread local oppos… joefargo3767 on Village of Barrington Presiden… joefargo3767 on Chicago mayor links restaurant… Nick Daw on Chicago mayor links restaurant… Recently Viewed Posts
- Cuba Township Assessor Shares: Important Update Regarding Upcoming Property Tax Bills
- Barrington Road widening project begins soon in South Barrington
- Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight
- Detectives recover homemade explosives, dozens of stolen high-end appliances near Barrington
- Chicago mayor links restaurant industry to ‘slavery’ as tipped wage fight intensifies
Archives
Categories
Subscribe to The Observer
