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Council rejects proposed impervious‑surface limits after public hearing and technical questions
Summary
Following public testimony and debate over technical justifications, the council voted down a proposed amendment setting maximum impervious‑surface percentages, with members and visitors urging reliance on drainage standards and variances rather than a fixed per‑lot cap.
The council held an extended public hearing and debate over proposed changes to the village’s impervious‑surface (maximum lot coverage) rules. A council member played a video and argued some blanket policies can worsen drainage in certain local conditions; public commenters and a visiting technical witness said lot‑coverage percentages appear arbitrary without supporting engineering analysis. As one visitor said during testimony, “If you cover a 100% of your lot it's gonna flood somewhere else no matter what you plan to do.”
Council discussion highlighted existing ordinance language that requires paved areas to be graded and drained to prevent excess runoff and noted the village maintains floodplain overlay and drainage provisions requiring engineering certification when development affects flood‑carrying capacity. Several council members argued that soil type, grading, connectivity to drainage, and engineering plans are the predominant factors for runoff rather than a fixed percentage cap; others emphasized neighborhood aesthetics.
After debate, a motion to adopt the impervious‑surface amendment failed on roll call; council members said they preferred relying on existing drainage and floodplain code, using variance processes for exceptions, and considering any technical changes in a future, better‑documented proposal.
