Board approves two variances, debates neighbor dispute and landscaping conditions

The Campton Hills Village Board approved two variances on separate properties after discussion about hardship, neighboring disputes and landscaping conditions.

On ordinance 26-36 (accessory-structure setback, Circle Drive), Trustee Janet voiced strong skepticism about the application, calling it "a long running dispute between two neighbors over the noise that ducks make" and said she was unwilling to solve a private noise dispute with a variance. Other trustees and a trustee who had worked the neighborhood earlier defended the planning commission’s view that topography, a large oak tree and a floodplain limited alternatives and that the requested 24-by-37 accessory structure or an addition was a reasonable option.

The board voted to approve the variance; the roll call showed a majority in favor and at least one recorded Nay.

For ordinance 26-37 (detached garage in a front yard, 476 Brown Road), trustees queried whether a site exhibit had been attached and whether the planning commission had considered landscape conditions to screen a front-yard garage. Trustees said the lot is wooded and tree cover would likely screen any structure, but several suggested that staff consider adding a landscaping condition to reduce visibility when approving front-yard detached structures in the future. The board approved that variance as well.

Both approved variances included discussion of floodplain constraints and alternative locations on the lots; trustees asked staff to consider standard landscaping conditions as part of future front-yard accessory-structure approvals.