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Will County staff proposes caps on repeated temporary-use permits; committee asks for exceptions process for longer seasonal events
Summary
Land use staff proposed ordinance language that would cap unlisted temporary uses to 179 days per two-year period and limit events of public interest to three consecutive days and no more than 21 days per calendar year; committee asked staff to draft alternative language allowing committee review or longer short-term events.
County planning staff presented draft text to the Land Use and Development Committee proposing limits on how long temporary uses may be renewed and how many days per year an event may run.
Brian (county staff) said the proposed new provision would limit uses not otherwise authorized in the temporary-use section to a maximum of 179 consecutive days in any two consecutive calendar years, and would retain a separate rule that “events of public interest” — examples listed in the draft include fall festivals, haunted houses, outdoor concerts and similar activities — be limited to no more than three consecutive days and no more than 21 days total per calendar year per zoning lot.
Committee members supported capping long-term stacked renewals but raised concerns that the three-day consecutive limit for events of public interest is too restrictive for some seasonal activities such as week-long carnivals, corn mazes or holiday markets. Members suggested alternatives including allowing up to five days for certain events or creating a process for applicants to request committee approval for longer events. Several members noted the planning and zoning commission (PCC) currently hears the applications that fall outside the administrator’s authority and that the committee meets less frequently, which could affect applicant timelines.
Brian said staff would return with revised language that preserves the 179-day cap and the 21-day-per-year limitation for public-interest events, and would draft an additional subsection spelling out when a request exceeding the short-duration limit should be referred to the Land Use and Development Committee for review.
No formal vote was taken; the committee directed staff to prepare revised ordinance language for public hearing.
