Campton Hills schedules May 22 open house and public hearing on revised comprehensive plan

The Campton Hills Planning Commission voted unanimously to set an open house and formal public hearing on a revised comprehensive plan for 6 p.m. on May 22 at Village Hall.

Commission members said the meeting will begin with an informal open house to let residents review maps and ask questions, followed by the formal public hearing. Jim Brown, staff member, said that under state practice the comprehensive-plan public hearing is "supposed to be [an] informal hearing," and the commission discussed formats that would allow staff to mingle with residents and answer questions before the hearing.

The vote establishes required public-notice timing and the meeting format. Commissioners stressed that public notice must meet the applicable notice period; one commissioner reminded the group that at least 15 days of notice are needed before holding the hearing. The commission also agreed to post exhibits at the open house, including current and future land-use maps and selected green-infrastructure maps provided by consultant HR Green, so attendees can see area maps and ask staff where restrictions or conservation designations exist.

Commissioners set a related schedule of meetings: a special meeting on June 2 at 6:30 p.m. to consider a possible zoning request tied to an annexation application, and a special regular meeting on June 18 (regular meeting at 7 p.m.). The commission also agreed to cancel the regular May 14 and June 11 meetings. Commissioners said they expected an early draft of annexation materials to be posted for members ahead of the June zoning review.

Commissioners discussed one pending annexation/zoning application that had paid application fees and requires initial review. A commissioner noted the applicant had filed for annexation and paid $1,500 for the application covering roughly 962.80 acres, and staff said they expected to provide an early draft of review materials to commissioners in the days before the scheduled meetings. Commissioners emphasized that tonight's action was to set hearing and meeting dates and begin the review process; they did not make land-use decisions on the application at this meeting.

The commission confirmed logistics for the May 22 open house: boards and large-format maps on tables, a brief five-minute presentation to explain the plan and next steps, and staff availability to answer questions. Commissioners suggested selecting one uncluttered green-infrastructure map for display and that HR Green provide the maps for the event. Staff said they would prepare exhibits showing the layout of land proposed for open-space consideration and a two-page historical timeline of development in the area to give context for attendees.

At the end of the meeting, the commission moved and unanimously approved the May 22 hearing date and then unanimously moved to adjourn. The commission also noted that if additional changes are needed to the plan based on public feedback, they could amend or table recommendations at future meetings.