Planning commission recommends rezoning 44-acre parcel from FAR 1 to FAR 3 near Pine Mountain Road

The Cook County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the County Board approve a rezoning request to change 44 acres off Pine Mountain Road from FAR 1 to FAR 3.

A Land Services staff member said the parcel (Parcel 53-230-1400) was recently transferred from state ownership to private ownership in May 2025 and is undeveloped. Staff described adjacent zoning as FAR 3 to the south and public land to the east and north; wetlands occur primarily on the south side of Pine Mountain Road, where a roughly 7.5-acre alder/coniferous swamp basin sits in the southeast quadrant of the property. Staff also noted electric facilities run along Pine Mountain Road and fiber infrastructure lies near the western boundary, about 1,000 feet from the parcel center.

Staff walked the commission through the Cook County Land Use Guide Plan considerations and zoning-comparison tables that show FAR 1 allows larger minimum lot sizes and a broader set of permitted uses (20-acre minimum and 600-foot minimum lot width) whereas FAR 3 reduces minimum lot size to five acres and minimum lot width to 200 feet, with more uses shifted to conditional status. Staff observed that rezoning the 44-acre parcel could increase subdivision potential (from two 20-acre parcels under FAR 1 to up to eight 5-acre parcels under FAR 3), though wetlands and site constraints could limit the maximum number of lots.

The staff packet reported one adjacent-property written comment raising concerns about wetlands, Pine Mountain Road designation and utility access; staff followed up with Arrowhead Cooperative (electric), the Cook County wetland specialist and the U.S. Forest Service to clarify utility locations and road designation. Staff recommended findings that the proposed rezoning is consistent with surrounding zoning and the county land-use plan, that no mistake was made in the original zoning and that the rezoning permits reasonable use of the property.

Applicants Clay Johnson and Skyler Johnson provided their names and addresses for the record and declined to add to the staff narrative. Commissioners asked about eligibility for a residential open-space overlay due to proximity to Devil Track Road and discussed whether the land would support subdivision; commissioners repeatedly expressed comfort with staff findings. A motion to recommend approval to the County Board, accepting staff findings, passed by voice vote.

Staff noted future subdivision or development would require coordination for legal access, identification of building sites and septic locations and utility service connections at the time development is proposed.