Lake County talk about rezoning land could be delayed
Lake County officials are scheduled to again discuss a controversial rezoning request for the Dimucci family property near Hawthorn Woods, but the talk may be delayed until next month.
On Wednesday, the zoning board of appeals is set to resume an already heated conversation about the unincorporated site at Route 12 and Old McHenry Road. But the debate could be put off so village officials opposing the plan can meet privately with county leaders and the land owners about their concerns.
At the start of Wednesday's zoning board meeting, set for 5 p.m. at Concord Banquets in Kildeer, county staffers will request the debate be postponed until Aug. 15, County Administrator Barry Burton said.
The delay isn't automatic. The zoning board members will have to approve the request.
The private meeting was requested following complaints from Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington officials that they weren't able to talk with county officials about the plan before it progressed, Burton said.
“We're attempting to (allow) that,” Burton said.
An email about the possible schedule change was sent Tuesday afternoon to the media and residents who have added their names to mailing lists concerning the Dimucci proposal.
“We don't want to waste people's time,” Burton said.
The Dimuccis want the county to rezone the 109-acre site so a shopping center can be built there. No developer is aboard yet, so the plans are fairly hypothetical.
Many area residents and village officials have opposed the project, saying it's not wanted and would violate an agreement between Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington reached in the 1990s.
When members of the Dimucci family and their consultants spoke to the zoning board last week, the audience was largely hostile to the plan.
The proposal already has been rejected by the Lake County Regional Plan Commission, which — like the zoning board — advises the Lake County Board. The county board will have final say on the request.