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Committee directs ZBA to begin public hearing process for comprehensive Chapter 151 update
Summary
Staff asked the committee to initiate a comprehensive review of Chapter 151 (the Unified Development Ordinance). The committee approved sending the package to the Zoning Board of Appeals to hold a public hearing; staff will draft substantive revisions and work with the State’s Attorney before bringing proposals back to the committee and board.
The Lake County Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee voted Sept. 3 to direct the Zoning Board of Appeals to begin a public hearing on a comprehensive update to Chapter 151, the county’s Unified Development Ordinance.
Krista Brown, of the Planning, Building and Development Department, said the county periodically conducts comprehensive reviews to maintain currency and incorporate best practices. The last comprehensive update was approved in 2019, she said; staff are now drafting substantive changes that were not part of the 2019 update.
Brown and other staff said major themes under review include streamlining the planned unit development (PUD) process, clarifying development financial assurances and regulatory streamlining across multiple chapters. They also noted housekeeping amendments such as updating committee names, codifying longstanding department policies, and fixing typographical errors.
Member Kanishniak asked whether the timing and content were responsive to efforts to increase housing supply; staff said streamlining the PUD process is intended to reduce procedural steps that have discouraged use of PUDs for residential subdivisions and that making the process less time-consuming could incentivize their use. Staff added that the PUD instrument has been used rarely in the last 20 years for residential subdivision and that the proposed changes aim to reduce steps while retaining public hearings.
If the committee’s referral is approved by the county board, staff will finalize draft amendments in coordination with the State’s Attorney’s Office and present the package to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a public hearing; subsequent proposals would return to the committee and county board for final action. The committee voted unanimously to begin the public hearing process (motion by Member Kanishniak, second by Member Schlick).
