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Trustees prioritize B2 zoning review after residents raise alarm over tree clearing at 1601 West Main
Summary
Following public outcry over tree removal at 1601 West Main and questions about buffers, Sleepy Hollow trustees authorized the planning-and-zoning commission to resume drafting clearer B2 special-use language and approved small expenditures for the village newsletter and park mulch.
Trustees in Sleepy Hollow voted to let the planning-and-zoning commission resume work on updating the village zoning code, with an explicit priority to clarify B2 (commercial) special-use requirements, after residents raised concerns that vegetation and buffer protections were not being enforced at recent property work at 1601 West Main.
Multiple residents told the board they were alarmed by contractor clearing at the site, which several speakers said is owned by Conrad Ryback. One resident said more than 425 people had signed a petition opposing the proposed storage development and asked the village to set precise setback and buffer distances for B2 parcels. “There were 425 plus people who signed the petition saying no to the storage facility,” a resident told trustees during public comment.
The village president and trustees described the sequence of events: ComEd performed safety trimming where power lines required it, and contractors removed invasive species in some areas. The president said the village’s ordinances limit what the village can do on a private 'pleasure driveway' and stressed that the village lacks a stop-work authority for this kind of permit but will pursue legal remedies and follow up with the owner and the village attorney to ensure required buffers and replacement plantings are restored. The president cited buffer widths that can range from roughly 30 to 60 feet in some B2/B1 areas and said the board would insist on enforcement where required.
On a separate but related motion, trustees voted to authorize the planning-and-zoning commission to begin drafting clearer language for special-use permits in the B2 district and to prioritize that work so enforcement has clearer standards. The motion passed unanimously.
The board also approved a packet of smaller budget items: printing and mailing the summer Sleepy Hollow newsletter (estimated to cost less than $2,000) and a motion to spend up to $400 annually to mulch about 20 trees near the pavilion and playground at Sabatino Park. Trustees debated using donated wood chips but raised concerns about disease transfer and nuisance from aged chips; the board ultimately authorized paid mulch to maintain the park’s appearance ahead of summer events.
Trustees closed the meeting after asking staff to get follow-up information from the site owner and the village engineer about environmental safeguards for the demolition and clearing operations near the mall site and adjacent properties.
