Zoning Commission Overrules Staff, Approves Greeen Garden Twp Variance for 3-Acre Agricultural Lot

Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a variance for a 3-acre lot in an agricultural zone, going against a staff recommendation to deny the request in favor of a more complex rezoning. The landowner sought the variance to build a pole barn while preserving the property’s A-1 zoning classification to honor a promise made to the previous owner.

Green Garden Township Variance Key Points:

• The commission voted unanimously to approve a variance reducing the minimum lot area from 10 acres to 3 acres for a property on West Pauling Road in Green Garden Township.

• County planning staff had recommended denial, arguing that rezoning the lot to an E-2 estate classification would be better planning practice.

• The property owner, Noah Keefe, stated he wished to maintain the A-1 agricultural zoning to preserve the land’s rural character and keep options open for potential future consolidation with adjacent farmland.

JOLIET, IL – Landowners Noah Keefe and Veronica Ortiz won approval for a variance from the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, allowing them to keep their 3-acre property zoned for agriculture despite it not meeting the 10-acre minimum. The board voted 6-0 to approve the request, overriding a staff recommendation for denial.

The variance was sought for the property at 11531 W. Pauling Road in Green Garden Township to bring the lot into compliance so the owners could build a pole barn. The lot was created in 1988, a time when the county lacked the authority to enforce its 10-acre minimum standard for A-1 agricultural zoning.

County planning staff recommended denying the variance, suggesting that the more appropriate course of action would be for the owner to apply for a map amendment to rezone the property to E-2 (Estate), a classification for which the 3-acre lot would qualify.

However, the applicants submitted a letter explaining their desire to maintain the A-1 zoning. They stated they made a promise to the previous owner to “honor the spirit and history of the land” and preserve its agricultural legacy. “By rezoning it to E2, I assume that would make it easier for developers to come in and do that,” said Veronica Ortiz. “If we wanted to ever give it back to them, they could just add it back to their original land.”

Commissioners were sympathetic to the owners’ reasoning. Commissioner John Kiefner noted the possibility that the owners might purchase adjacent farmland in the future, or that the neighboring farmer might buy their parcel back, making the A-1 zoning more practical for future consolidation. The commission ultimately sided with the landowner’s request for flexibility.