Fox Lake zoning chairman fined $750 for property dispute

Fox Lake zoning board Chairman Ron Stochl has been fined $750 by the village for blocking an easement his Lake Avenue neighbors use to access the Chain O’ Lakes.

But Stochl said no easement exists along the north side of his property, and he is trying to prove he owns the land and it is not an unbuilt road named Hillside Place.

“This is clearly a property dispute between the village and Mr. Stochl that needs to be cleared up,” Building Commissioner Frank Urbina said Friday. “The village feels they are the rightful owner of the roadway in question. But Mr. Stochl refutes it.”

Stochl, who has chaired the zoning board since 1985, said he could not comment because of the legal matters involving the property.

At issue is a 10-foot-wide section of land next to Stochl’s garage that runs about 200 feet down a hill from 24 N. Lake Ave. to the Chain O’ Lakes.

According to the Grant Township assessor’s office, it is one of many “paper roads” in the village — a parcel listed as an uncompleted road on assessor’s office maps.

Hillside Place does not have a tax ID number or a registered owner, according to the assessor’s office.

Urbina said Stochl was issued a permit in 2009 to build a picket fence and gate around his property. He added it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure the fence is put in the proper location.

After the fence was up, neighbors on Lake Avenue complained it cut off their access to the lake.

“Mr. Stochl told us that he owns the land in question. However, he has not produced documentation proving that he owns the property,” Urbina said. “The village believes we own the property, but until it’s figured out, he must leave the gate on the property open to allow residents of the subdivision access to the waterway.”

Stochl was fined $750 Thursday because he closed the gate or parked vehicles in front of it, keeping people from walking through, Urbina said.

Stochl, who purchased the property in 1992, said he has not seen the village’s citation.

“The gate closed while I was out of town about two weeks ago because a person putting down mulch broke the block that was holding the gate open,” Stochl said. “Other than that one time, the gate has been open like the village requested.”

Urbina said Stochl has a right to appeal the citation before the village’s adjudication court. That court meets every other week at village hall.

“Someone turned in a picture of the gate closed, so we issued him a $750 fine,” Urbina said. “We can fine him $750 each time we see the gate closed, but we are hoping to have the whole property issue cleared up before this gets out of hand.”