Audio recordings from the October 17th regular monthly meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals held at Countryside Elementary School have been posted to the Village website. The link to the menu of recordings edited by agenda topic can be accessed here.
Six people made public comments, though three of them were allowed to speak twice, causing the public comment portion of the agenda to last about 45 minutes (and since the chair was very liberal when it came to the traditional 3 minute time limit per comment).
The developer of Barrington Hills Farm (BHF) was the first to ask to speak for a second time, but before he began his additional remarks, the chair asked him a question:
“In a letter you sent out to the entire village a month or two ago [seen here], in the letter there’s a statement that ‘some months ago a clique of area residents, a clique of area residents associated with high density housing development initiated a subtle but strategic campaign to defeat and dismantle the statutory defenses that preserve the character of the village of Barrington Hills.’ What were you talking about?”
The speaker replied, “There is a [sic] intentional direction at undermining and changing the village’s comprehensive plan. To change the comprehensive plan will change the density allowances for construction going forward.”
When asked for further definition of specifically whom the speaker was referring to in his letter, after some obfuscation he stated, “I’m not one for circulating misinformation. I will document it.”
We’re looking forward to it, as we’re confident our readers do as well. In the meantime, we highly recommend readers listen to this candid exchange by clicking here.
The second resident to speak twice (and who also happens to be involved in the BHF development) offered to answer the chair’s question. He stated:
“The question as I understood it, and I think it is a legitimate question, is basically is there a group that is trying to change the comprehensive plan, and are they meeting. And I can tell you categorically yes they are meeting, and here’s the change that is contemplated.
The change, and this is documented in written communications that’s been sent out on The Observer, which I think you write [apparently referring to one of the ZBA members], and in other publications, that basically we want to alter the characterization of Barrington Hills from an equestrian community to a residential community.
Now, as Mr. Stieper knows, and as probably everyone on the board knows, changing that characterization from an equestrian community, which has been embedded in the comprehensive plan since the beginning of Barrington Hills, and as I said at a previous meeting, uh, I was there at the start with the founder of Barrington Hills as an equestrian community.”
We recommend readers listen to this speaker’s full remarks as well as his dialog with board members by clicking here.
We also look forward to his commitment to follow up on his statements with documentation, particularly as they relate to Barrington Hills comprehensive plans. A searchable copy of the 1978 Comprehensive Plan that was in place for 27 years can be viewed and downloaded here, however it is devoid of anything remotely substantiating his claims.
Prior to the chair closing public comment, a ZBA member questioned the clerk regarding the procedure for timely inclusion of written comments in document packets to board members prior to meetings, since one submitted the morning of the meeting was excluded, yet another from that afternoon from the BHF developer was. The recording of that exchange can be heard here.
Recordings of all public comments made that night can be heard by clicking here, however, the first speaker is nearly inaudible.
When public comment concluded, the board began nearly two hours of discussion regarding the proposal to repeal Anderson II/LeCompte Anderson codes and revert back to Home Occupation Ordinance oversight of horse boarding facilities as an interim step before pursuing brand new codes addressing all scales of facilities in Barrington Hills.
The chair seemed to follow a rather “belt and suspenders” path throughout the discussion sometimes asking the same question of members two times. Perhaps he considers this being thorough, but in no instance did he receive a different response to the second question than from the first.
Member Stieper provided his thoughts when asked about the deficiencies in the Anderson II language after which he asked Bob Kosin, Village Administrator, for his opinion regarding his account, particularly as it related to Floor Area Ratio codes for the primary residence on a property versus an accessory structure such as a boarding barn.
Kosin stated, “The floor area requirements are, ah, are established and they do reflect a residential basis and they’re cumulative. So essentially what you are, um, saying is that the existing bulk regulations, the existing bulk regulations, do not give you sufficient guidelines to regulate what you’re attempting to address as large-scale commercial boarding.
So you have a use before you and you have a series of tools in the tool box, in the zoning tool box, and the existing standards, whether it be setback, or the floor area ratio, is insufficient as a matter of right to curtail some type of jeopardy to the adjoining property owners or the community as a whole.”
Granted, we are not fully fluent in “Kosin-speak,” however we believe we understand what he is politically treading lightly on with his response as we illustrated in, “Why Anderson II must go.” Mr. Kosin’s remarks can be heard here.
When the roll was called two of the five Zoning Board members present voted against advancing the proposal to repeal Anderson II and three voted in favor. A public hearing on the matter when testimony will be under oath was then scheduled for November 9th at Countryside Elementary School beginning at 6:30 PM.
The agenda and documentation will be published here when available prior to the meeting.
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The Village Board will meet on tonight September 25th at 6:30 PM. The agenda and e-Packet can be found 
Audio recordings from the February 21st Meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals have been posted to the Village website. To access the main menu of recordings edited by agenda topic, click 
