McHenry County board renews sawmill/woodworking conditional-use permit for 20 years

The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to renew the conditional-use permit for a sawmill and woodworking operation on a five-acre parcel at 18014 College Road in Seneca Township and extended the permit term to 20 years.

The petitioner, Dan Deserto, said he and his wife, Janine Joswiak, own the larger 20-acre property and that the sawmill component of the business is now a lower-volume, boutique operation and that the site primarily functions as a woodworking and custom furniture business. Deserto told the board the mill runs infrequently and that his shop maintains strict humidity and dust controls to protect finished wood.

Anna Kurtzman, senior planner, told the board the property is zoned A-1 with a conditional use and that staff’s recommended conditions largely mirror the original permit. Kurtzman said surrounding land is primarily agricultural and that the application met the publication, posting and mailing requirements.

Board members cited the lack of complaints, the reduced intensity of sawmill production compared with a decade ago, and the petitioner’s testimony about operations. The board amended condition one to extend the permit term from one year to 20 years, accepted the staff-proposed conditions as updated, and approved the request by a 7-0 vote.

The renewed permit continues to allow operation of the sawmill, storage of commercial vehicles and equipment, woodworking and furniture production and lumber production under the conditions attached by county staff; the staff packet (as presented) contained 12 conditions, which the board accepted with date updates and the 20-year term.

Kurtzman recommended forwarding the approval to the McHenry County Board with the amended term and conditions. The petitioner told the board he has four full-time employees in the shop and that the operation draws occasional customer pickups but no regular retail traffic.

The board recorded no neighbor complaints in the record and noted that the shop’s current, lower-intensity operation produces little detectable impact on neighboring properties. The board’s motion to change the permit term to 20 years was moved and seconded on the record; the conditions and the petition were ultimately approved unanimously.

The county will include the updated permit conditions in the file and forward its recommendation to the McHenry County Board for final action.