Kane County committee approves Riverside Club special use for educational camps in Big Rock Township

Kane County’s Development Committee on a recommendation vote approved zoning petition 4665, allowing Riverside Club for Adventure and Imagination to operate a recreational and educational facility on a property along Jericho Road in Big Rock Township. The committee approved the zoning change with staff-recommended stipulations; the roll call recorded the measure as passing with three no votes.

The action matters because the property includes a pond and floodplain area and lies on a high-speed curve of Jericho Road, prompting county staff, KDOT and township representatives to press for conditions intended to protect campers and roadway users. The zoning board of appeals had recommended approval with one dissenting member.

Staff described the site as a former large single-family parcel with a pond, wooded and grassy areas, a gated long driveway and circular turnaround. The petitioner sought a special use in the F (farming) district under the “similar uses” category (special use DD) to permit educational and recreational assembly uses. Mark Van Kirkhoff, director of development staff, said building inspectors and the Big Rock Fire Department had reviewed the site and that any approved use would proceed through standard change-of-use and building permit reviews to address life-safety and egress.

Speakers during the committee discussion raised two primary concerns. Big Rock Township representatives said the driveway lies on a high-speed curve and warned about events that could draw large numbers of vehicles to an unlit, 55 mph stretch; a township representative said, “We’re not opposing this. We’re just saying we have concerns about the traffic.” KDOT permitting staff, Doris Hohertz, told the committee the access is an existing county road and that, for the design speeds involved, stopping sight distance is close to standards; KDOT recommended police presence for large events and a driveway width/stipulation to reduce vehicle stacking on the roadway. Staff noted a recommended KDOT stipulation that the driveway be widened to a minimum width (20–22 feet) for a specified distance (110 feet).

Several residents spoke in favor of the Riverside Club program. Kate Doyle, identifying herself as a longtime Riverside parent, read a letter from her son and supporter, Seamus, saying, “I was fortunate enough to have been enrolled in Riverside at age 9...the boys who will be making use of the land are no animals who will be invading your property, but rather are en route to become the model men of their generation.” Petitioner Peter Serby, who founded Riverside, told the committee the group has run similar events for more than a decade and that it does not currently intend to build habitable structures in the floodplain; he said the organization has met with the Big Rock fire chief and is willing to implement fire detectors, extinguishers and an emergency route plan.

Committee members pressed staff about floodplain-related stipulations. County staff and the county hazard mitigation representative explained that stipulations 2 and 3 referenced in the recommendation stem from the county’s stormwater ordinance and conservation-easement requirements; those stipulations would preserve the 100-year floodplain as open space or limit uses consistent with stormwater rules. Staff also said a separate recommended provision advising against habitable structures in the floodplain (described as stipulation 4 in discussion) was not a statutory requirement but a safety recommendation because young campers could be present and the creek in the area is “flashy.” The petitioner and staff said the submitted site plan did not propose habitable structures in the floodplain and that any future structural proposals would require building permits and a separate review.

Action and next steps: Committee member Vern Tepe moved the measure; a second was recorded and the committee approved the petition. The staff packet and the zoning board findings will accompany the matter to the full county board for final action. Any future construction, change of use or variance that affects the floodplain will require separate permit approvals and compliance with building and stormwater regulations.

Clarifying details not previously in the public packet include KDOT’s recommended driveway minimum width (20–22 feet for 110 feet), that the zoning board of appeals recommended approval with one dissenting vote, and that staff emphasized conservation-easement and stormwater ordinance requirements as the basis for floodplain stipulations. The petitioner stated he has no present intent to construct habitable structures in the floodplain and has already discussed emergency plans with the fire chief.

Committee members said they would discuss draft language with the state’s attorney on the narrow issue of remote-voting rules that had arisen earlier in the meeting. The zoning recommendation will be forwarded to the full county board with the recommended stipulations for further action.