Hot Topics
Hot Topics includes subject matter that remains newsworthy over a significant period of time with the potential to impact the character and integrity of the village. Items covered on this page may not change frequently. We will maintain the latest public status as the information becomes available. While not all of the subject matter may be in the “backyard” of all residents, the decisions have far reaching ramifications to the village as a whole and as such we encourage all residents to show support. Latest news in each topic area will be at the top followed by references and older information.
Property Disconnections and Boundary Protection
Property Disconnections and Boundary Protection issues continue to command attention. The fate of the Duda/James property on the northwest corner of the Village continues in negotiation. We have made great progress and we expect a satisfactory conclusion from the perspective of the Village and neighboring residents. However, given the state of the economy and upcoming elections, we are not expecting an immediate resolution.
We lost the Iatarola disconnection case (which involves property on the southeast corner of the Village) in trial court and will now move into appeals. The Village maintains that the trial court violated the state statute by stranding pieces of the Village after the disconnection.
Disconnection continues to be a major threat. The ultimate solution is a change in the state statute which acknowledges the planning of the community and the voting public. We are working with our staff and the regional mayors' councils in order to make these changes. While there are many distractions within state government at present, we believe we will make substantial progress in the next year.
Barrington Hills - Duda Disconnection Update
A September 10, 2008 article published by the Daily Herald is the first public update on the Duda disconnection process in months. "A state appeals court this week unanimously upheld a lower-court decision allowing a developer to de-annex 117 acres from Barrington Hills and make it part of unincorporated McHenry County. The decision, however, soon may be moot as the village and landowner are nearing an agreement allowing a controversial subdivision to go forward within the town's borders, Village President Robert Abboud said Wednesday. 'I think we're going to resolve it,' Abboud said. 'I have the feeling we are rapidly moving toward a successful conclusion.' 'The agreement could return all 485 acres de-annexed by the Fritz Duda Co. since 2004 back to the village,' Abboud said." Go to the Hot Topics Page for more comprehensive information.
Appellate Court Sides with Developer in De-annexation Flap
By Charles Keeshan | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 9/10/2008 4:47 PM
A state appeals court this week unanimously upheld a lower-court decision allowing a developer to de-annex 117 acres from Barrington Hills and make it part of unincorporated McHenry County. The decision, however, soon may be moot as the village and landowner are nearing a compromise allowing a controversial subdivision to go forward within the town's borders, Village President Robert Abboud said Wednesday.
"I think we're going to resolve it," Abboud said. "I have the feeling we are rapidly moving toward a successful conclusion. "The agreement could return all 485 acres de-annexed by the Fritz Duda Co. since 2004 back to the village, Abboud said. The company and its partners would be permitted to build homes, Abboud said, but the "vast majority" of them would adhere to the village's five-acre minimum lot size requirement. A proposed spray-irrigation system for treating and disposing of wastewater would be replaced by an underground septic system.
Unlike prior settlement proposals, a portion of the Duda property would not be annexed by neighboring Algonquin to allow a more dense neighborhood within the proposed Barrington Farms subdivision. "The best approach is to have the whole thing come back to Barrington Hills," Abboud said.
Dominic Signoretta, a vice president for Fritz Duda, said through a spokeswoman that the company is hopeful about a resolution, but declined further comment.
The company has been at odds with village leaders for nearly a decade over the future of its property near Haegers Bend and Spring Creek roads, adjacent to the town's border with Algonquin. After the village board rejected plans for a golf-course community, Duda sued in 2001 to de-annex 368 acres of the site. When the first suit succeeded, the company sued again, this time winning court approval to remove another 117 acres.
But the company's plans hit a huge snag in 2006 when the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously rejected its plans for the 371-home Barrington Farms subdivision on the initial 368-acre site. The rejection led company officials to open talks with the village, McHenry County and Algonquin aimed at reaching a compromise that would allow some type of development on what is now open space and farmland
. www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=234090.
|
