Update on Dimucci Family Property (Southeast corner of Route 12 and Old McHenry Road)

The Lake County Board and the Lake County Planning Building and Development (PBD) Department are committed to an open process that allows residents the opportunity to obtain all the facts and have a voice in this process. Prior to any decisions being made, residents will have multiple opportunities to obtain information and provide input.  Lake County is planning a series of informational open houses in March. Residents can attend at any time during the open house and learn more about the proposal, ask questions of county officials, and submit comments.

Project Summary
The Dimucci family has submitted an application to Lake County PBD to rezone their property to commercial with a Conditional Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development (PUD). What this means is that the applicant is planning for the future development of this site. Lake County PBD and the applicant have worked diligently for many months on an extensive design plan consisting of almost 250 specific design conditions, including lighting, building setbacks, parking, building height, natural resource protection and open space features, floor area, and impervious surface.

The County will maintain complete control over the development and require exhaustive standards, including:
• High-quality architectural, site design, signage and landscaping elements
• Commercial development will be limited to a maximum of 53 acres (of 108.79 total acres) and no more than 800,000 square feet; Residential development will not be allowed
• Roughly half of the site will be preserved as permanent open space

The Village of Hawthorn Wood’s most recent plan (2004 Comprehensive Plan) calls for up to 50 acres of commercial development, along with residential development. The current proposal is less dense, and unlike previous proposals, it replaces residential (townhomes, single family residences) with open space, and includes only 53 acres of commercial development on the 108.79 acre site.

The applicant submitted an application to Lake County because the County maintains jurisdiction.  The County has a responsibility to review this proposal and the County has the authority to act on it. The proposal defines a clear vision for the development, and allows for the County to maintain complete control. It is not “blind zoning” as some suggest.
Through this Planned Unit Development process, Lake County will require exhaustive development standards that will need to be adhered to in a final development plan that will ultimately come back to the County for review and final approval.

Through this Planned Unit Development process, Lake County will require exhaustive development standards that will need to be adhered to in a final development plan. At the final development plan stage (which may take several years), the public will again have an opportunity to provide input into a final plan prior to final action by the County Board’s Planning, Building and Zoning Committee (PBZ), a seven member committee of the County Board.

Process
The application is the first step in the process. This project will go through a very extensive and detailed review process, with multiple opportunities for public input. Following the upcoming open houses in March that will allow for public information and input, the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) will take public comment, review the proposal, and make a recommendation to the County Board. All meeting information will be communicated to residents well in advance.

Following the RPC recommendation, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will also take public input and make a recommendation to the County Board, which will make a final decision on this application. All county board meetings are open to the public and posted on the county’s website www.lakecountyil.gov.