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Fox River Grove trustees deny accessory-structure variance for 220 Gladys Ave.; direct staff to review rules
Summary
Trustees voted 3-1 to deny a homeowner's request to build an accessory structure exceeding the 576-square-foot limit, citing a lack of demonstrated hardship; the board approved the rest of the consent agenda and asked staff to review the village's variance standards.
Fox River Grove trustees on Aug. 6 denied a request to allow a homeowner at 220 Gladys Avenue to build an accessory structure larger than the village's 576-square-foot limit, with a 3-1 roll-call vote.
The vote followed a brief debate during which Trustee Devin Hester said "a legitimate hardship was not present to justify the variance" and opposed setting a precedent of granting accessory-structure variances without a hardship finding. Trustee Andrew Migdal argued in favor of the variance, noting that "the houses are smaller in that area," the petitioner does not have a garage and "the extra space isn't placing the structure any closer to the lot," and that neighbors did not object to the request.
President Marc McLaughlin sided with concerns about the hardship requirement and asked staff to review whether the village code's standards for accessory-structure variances remain appropriate. "Direct staff to look into updating the requirements for granting variances for accessory structures," McLaughlin said during the discussion.
The motion to approve Ordinance 2024-09 failed on a roll call of Trustees Hester, Steve Knar and President McLaughlin voting "no" and Trustee Migdal voting "yes." Trustee Hester made the motion to approve; Trustee Migdal seconded the procedural motion to consider the ordinance separately after it was removed from consent.
Earlier in the meeting the board approved most consent-agenda items—including minutes from July 16, accounts payable, the June treasurer's report, two other zoning-related ordinances and bids and fee waivers—by unanimous roll call. Items approved via the consent agenda included: - Ordinance 2024-08 (100 Ski Hill Road accessory-structure variations) - Ordinance 2024-10 (text amendments to the Fox River Grove zoning ordinance) - Award of bid: Picnic Grove Park monument sign (Milieu Landscaping) - Waivers: Fox River Grove PTO raffle fee and fidelity bond requirement; temporary liquor-license fee for Fall Fun on Oct. 19 (Fox River Grove Lions Club)
During public comment resident Angie Gunn asked for clarification about village rules for golf carts and side-by-side utility vehicles, saying her vehicle meets Illinois state street-safety regulations and she wanted to confirm it may be driven on village streets. The trustees did not issue a ruling during the meeting.
Administrator Soderholm updated the board on Block B, saying dirt and hydroseeding are complete, fences would remain for about a week while the grass establishes and a small punch list is being closed out. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
What happens next: Staff will review the village code language used to evaluate accessory-structure variance requests and report back to the board; no change to Ordinance 2024-09 was adopted.
