Despite objections, Kane board approves rezoning

The Kane County Board on Tuesday approved a zoning change for a St. Charles Township lot despite objections from neighbors who argued that a home proposed for the site is inappropriately large.

The board voted 20-4 to rezone the vacant 14,300-square-foot lot in the area known as Valley View.

Landowner Dan Ferrara plans to build a 3,000-square-foot house on the property. Speaking at Tuesday's meeting, three nearby residents urged the county board to deny the zoning request.

"This simply is not a good fit in this neighborhood," said Chuck Ingersoll, president of the East Side Homeowners Association.

Existing homes in the area range in size from 680 to 1,330 square feet, Ingersoll said.

The neighborhood is part of the Hawthorne Ridge subdivision approved by the village of Valley View, a municipality that dissolved in 1980. The subdivision contains 14 lots, 13 of which have homes originally built as summer cottages. The 14th lot is the one Ferrara now owns.

The board approved the zoning change on the condition that Ferrara tap into municipal water and sewer lines. Neighboring homes are served by private well and septic systems.

Ferrara also promised to install a fire hydrant. He said his home would improve the neighborhood and increase property values.

"They will benefit," Ferrara said of existing residents.

Board member John Hoscheit, a St. Charles Republican who represents the area, voted against the request. He agreed with objectors who argued that the minimum lot size in that neighborhood should be 20,000 square feet to limit density.

But board member Cathy Hurlbut, an Elgin Republican who voted with the majority to approve the request, argued that requiring a 20,000-square-foot lot doesn't make sense when existing lots range in size from 10,000 to 14,000 square feet.

"That's why we feel this is a good fit," Hurlbut said.