Neighbor supports rehearing on Elmwood front-yard fence height and opacity

A DuPage County zoning hearing officer heard a rehearing July 16 on Case Z25O33, a petition seeking to increase a front-yard fence from 4 feet 6 inches to as much as 6 feet and to change the fence from 50% open to fully closed. The officer said he adopted the record from the prior hearing and would announce a recommendation at a public recommendation meeting on Aug. 20.

The matter matters because it would alter the allowed height and opacity of a front-yard fence on Elmwood Street, changes that affect neighbors’ sight lines, privacy and neighborhood character. The hearing officer said a prior procedural error related to notice required reopening the record and that he intended to adopt the prior exhibits before taking supplemental testimony.

Mary Schuman, a neighbor at 0 N. 126 Elmwood Street, told the hearing officer she did not object. “I certainly don't object. I think that, I'm also a dog trainer, and I think they're probably doing it for their animal,” Schuman said, and added she had met the dog and found it “super friendly.”

The petitioners (listed in the record as Mr. and Mrs. Dubner) thanked Schuman for her support and said they had nothing further to add. The hearing officer said he intended to approve the petition but that the timeline changed because the case must re-run through the committee schedule; he said final approvals would likely occur in early September.

The officer closed the hearing for Case Z25O33 and set the recommendation for Aug. 20. No formal vote was recorded at this session; the officer said the case will proceed to the county development committee and then to the full county board for final action.

Next steps: the hearing officer will post a written recommendation at the Aug. 20 recommendation meeting, and the petition will then follow the county’s committee and board review schedule.