McHenry County ZBA approves 10-year renewal for Espinosa landscaping business, grants driveway-width variance

The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve a 10-year renewal of a conditional use permit for indoor and outdoor storage of landscaping equipment and vehicles at 3902 East Crystal Lake Avenue and granted a variance to allow a narrowed portion of the driveway.

The board heard application Z250018 Thursday and approved the staff-recommended conditions and the variance by a 7–0 vote. The petitioners — property owner Fidel Espinosa, represented by attorney Dan Curran — sought renewal of an existing conditional use permit and a waiver from the county’s 24-foot driveway-width standard for a segment of the access drive.

The decision preserves long-standing operations at the 6.4-acre property, which Curran and Espinosa said has been used for landscaping for more than two decades and includes a metal barn adapted for commercial use, a separate commercial septic system,…