Campton Hills planners update draft comprehensive plan; wastewater capacity and open‑space ratios flagged

Campton Hills Planning and Zoning Commission members held an informal workshop and then opened a public hearing May 26, 2025, to review a draft update to the village comprehensive plan and received questions about a proposed Town Center option, wastewater capacity and suggested open‑space ratios for new development.

The draft is an update to the village’s 2012 comprehensive plan and is intended to set planning guidance into the future, including a land‑use map that designates a conservation‑neighborhood area south of Route 38 to protect natural resources and shape future proposals. The commission and staff emphasized that plan elements labeled as “options” do not represent commitments to build but are intended to guide negotiations with developers and county reviews.

At the start of the meeting Chairman Frederick said the evening included an informal, two‑way workshop where residents could ask questions before the formal public hearing. The commission later approved April 30, 2025, minutes (moved by Commissioner Kopeck, seconded by Commissioner Anderson; Commissioner McKelvey abstained) and voted to open the public hearing by motion (moved by Commissioner Kopeck, seconded by Commissioner Anderson; motion carried).

During the informal session resident Thomas Bihun, who identified himself as president of the Wasco Sanitary District, told commissioners the district had “no capacity” to serve additional wastewater loads. Bihun said engineering work shows the district needs roughly 47 additional acres of spray fields to meet current compliance and add capacity. A staff member, Jim, and other commissioners confirmed that wastewater capacity and the availability of spray fields are a limiting factor for any Town Center or other higher‑density proposals. The record shows commissioners describing the Town Center concept in the draft as “an option,” not a village commitment; as Chairman Frederick put it, “It is an option.”

Commissioners and a resident speaker, Nick Boatner, asked about how the plan sets open‑space expectations for future projects. Commissioners said the draft borrows a broad range used by neighboring county guidance and cited a suggested range of roughly 35–50 percent open space depending on site conditions and environmental constraints. The draft also references a building ratio concept (described in the meeting as about 0.75) and a green‑infrastructure approach that would be considered during reviews or annexation negotiations.

Several speakers noted the commission removed or revised language from earlier drafts that they described as urban‑oriented guidance from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to make the document better reflect Campton Hills’ semi‑rural character. Commissioners said the update focuses on strengthening verbiage about preserving open space, larger lot character and natural features rather than wholesale changes to the village’s land‑use goals.

No members of the public provided sworn comments during the formal public‑hearing portion that evening. Commissioners paused a vote to close the hearing in order to discuss a missing appendix: the meeting record shows staff circulated the comprehensive plan draft but that Appendix B (Stormwater Management) was not included in the packet and that the commission intended to address that omission before proceeding further.

Next steps recorded in the meeting include staff follow‑up to confirm the missing appendix and continued review of the draft plan by the commission. The draft remains posted on the village website for review and will return for further consideration at future Planning and Zoning Commission meetings and any required county or annexation reviews.