Campton Hills working through final stages of updating zoning

As Campton Hills officials inch closer to finalizing revised zoning ordinances for the village, residents continue to express concern about potential changes.

From the number of chickens they can own to the placement of commercial vehicles on their property, residents found plenty to disagree with at Monday's plan commission and zoning board of appeals meeting.

"I find it comical that we're saying on an acre or two acres, 16 chickens," resident Taylor Cook said.

Incorporated in 2007, Campton Hills adopted Kane County's zoning code that was written in 1937 and revised through the years. Since 2013, officials have worked on establishing the village's own code that uses the county's as a base structure but customizes it to fit the needs of residents.

Members of the Campton Hills plan commission had hoped to submit the final draft of the proposed code to the village board later this month, but Chairman Jerome Johnson said that's unlikely based on the amount of feedback.

"This is just part of the process of working on this," Johnson said. "And that's why it's so important to have people sending in comments, etcetera, so it'll give us a better perspective on things we hadn't thought of or hadn't been aware of."

Village President Mike Tyrrell, Village Administrator Ron Searl and Village Attorney Peter Murphy spoke before Monday's meeting to detail the history of developing the code and alleviate concerns of residents - including the dozens watching the meeting on Zoom.

Ten residents spoke during the public comment section at the end of the 2½ hour meeting, many worried about potential ordinances limiting the number of horses, chickens and other animals they could keep on their property. For example, commission members are currently proposing two chickens per quarter acre and one horse per acre if a proper manure management system is in place.

"Is it perfect? No," Tyrrell said. "Is it something that might change along the way? Yes."