Barrington Hills flower farm once again rejected by village zoning board
The owners of a Barrington Hills flower farm met rejection for the third time from the village’s zoning board of appeals.
The ZBA on Tuesday unanimously recommended the village board turn down the request by Chris Yamamoto of the Little Ducky Flower Farm to allow agricultural sales in a residential zoning district. It would cover products grown or raised on the property.
If it passes, the zoning amendment would allow the use as a matter of right, not as a special use.
The ZBA and the village board had previously turned down two zoning proposals that would enable Yamamoto and his wife Sarah Gul to sell flowers directly to visitors at the farm, located on Dundee Road near Algonquin Road.
The reasons for rejection this time were similar.
“Under (residential), nobody is allowed to sell. Once we let one person sell, we open the door in the future for more people to do it, and we start to fundamentally change the nature of Barrington Hills,” John Gigerich said.
But Yamamoto said, “This proposal does not open the door to commercialization or retail. It simply acknowledges that small-scale farms can and should include direct sales to the public.”
If the farm’s owners faced a wall of opposition from the zoning board, they had considerable backing from members of the public attending.
“I think that businesses like that should be able to exist around here,” said Kari Johnson, who has visited the farm with her family.
She also pointed out other instances of sales in the village, including one Barrington Hills property owner who raised and sold horses for decades.
The village board could vote on the issue as early as next week.