B. Hills hopefuls differ on zoning defense

Barrington Hills trustee candidates are divided over whether allowing exemptions along its borders to the village’s traditional 5-acre minimum zoning will protect the town’s interior.

The debate comes after Barrington Hills lost a series of disconnection lawsuits in recent years to developers wanting to build homes on smaller lots. All the candidates agree current law favors developers of large parcels in such fights.

Candidates Diane “Dede” Wamberg, Steve D’Amore and incumbent Trustee Beth Mallen of the Common Sense Party support the idea of allowing smaller lots — perhaps two or three acres — along the edges of the community to protect against further disconnections and maintain the 5-acre minimum elsewhere.

They are all seeking four-year seats on the board, while a fourth member of the party — Harold “Skip” Gianopulos — is running unopposed for a two-year seat.

They’re opposed by members of the Save Five Acres party: incumbent Trustee Joe Messer, Village Clerk Karen Selman and newcomer Patty Meroni. As their name indicates, they oppose compromise on the 5-acre minimum.

An eighth candidate — Plan Commission Chairman David Stieper — said he was invited to join Save Five Acres but declined because he feels the village needs more independent voices and less of an “us-versus-them” mentality.

But Stieper disagrees with aspects of both parties’ approaches to protecting the village’s zoning.

Stieper believes opposing rezoning of border properties is the right move, but not spending hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting disconnections. While he believes nothing could have stopped the hard-fought disconnection of the Duda property several years ago, what developers covet most is the Barrington Hills name.

He also disagrees with the Common Sense Party’s plan to allow transitional zoning along the borders to protect the interior.

“I believe that is the slow road to death,” Stieper said.

Messer, who previously served with Stieper on the plan commission, said he was stunned to hear his former colleague wouldn’t fight attempted disconnections. He suggests changes could be made to state legislation in order to make disconnection more difficult.

“You’ve got to defend your borders,” Messer said. “If you don’t do that, the village will continue to shrink.”

In the eyes of the Save Five Acres Party, the goals of the Common Sense Party are as deadly to the village’s integrity as those of disconnecting developers.

But Common Sense Party members see their plan as a way to protect the village from bidding farewell to more than the 600 acres already lost to disconnections.

“Nobody here’s in favor of high-density development,” D’Amore said.

Mallen said one of the toughest challenges to her party’s message is that the equestrian community is being told — she believes erroneously — that the slightest change from 5-acre zoning poses a threat to their ability to keep horses.

The Save Five Acres party maintains that their opponents’ approach is no defense of the village’s current zoning.

Meroni said Barrington Hills is an island in a sea of suburban sprawl now being targeted by developers who’ve exhausted their options for westward expansion.

Selman said that there is enough of an external threat to the village’s zoning that Barrington Hills can’t afford to have an internal influence working toward breaking the 5-acre tradition as well.