Applicant seeks reduction in required buildable area for 2.1‑acre lot; board directs planning commission review

At the Village of Lake Barrington meeting on May 6, 2025, an applicant, Zach Herb, presented a courtesy review for a vacant 2.1‑acre lot and said he plans to seek a variance in required buildable area.

Herb told trustees, "I will be requesting a variation to reduce the the size, the buildable space from that 40,000 to 38,000," and later referenced a 2.1‑acre parcel where about half the site is currently deemed buildable, in part because of wetland delineations. The transcript includes inconsistent size references: Herb initially said a building required "48,000 square feet" and then discussed reducing a 40,000‑square‑foot requirement to 38,000 square feet; the transcript does not resolve that discrepancy.

Board members and staff described the courtesy review as a preliminary, nonbinding step intended to "take the temperature" of the board and to help the applicant decide whether to proceed. The village chair explained that neighbors and other interested parties will have an opportunity to comment during the formal planning commission public hearing; the board described the planning commission as the body that will collect facts and public feedback and make a recommendation to the board of trustees.

President Burke (board chair) asked the applicant to familiarize himself with local "B zoning" because the parcel’s allowable uses and any zoning relief will be considered by the planning commission. Trustees directed that the proposal be docketed for the May 22 planning commission meeting, where the public hearing and any requested zoning relief would be scheduled.

No formal zoning decision or variance was made at the May 6 meeting; the courtesy review is an informal, advisory step in the local process. Neighbors and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to submit objections and appear at the planning commission hearing as part of the formal review.