Indian Head Park board sends fence rules to Planning & Zoning for review
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Summary
Trustees voted 5-0 to refer a review of residential fence regulations to the Planning and Zoning Commission, directing the commission to hold public hearings and return a recommendation by December 2025; trustees debated whether the review should require a strong justification and consider community character.
The Village of Indian Head Park Board of Trustees voted unanimously on July 10 to refer a review of residential fence regulations to the Village’s Planning and Zoning Commission. The adopted resolution (No. 2025-19) tasks the commission with examining whether the village’s ordinances on fences in residential districts should be amended, conducting public hearings “pursuant to law and the village's zoning procedures,” and returning a recommendation to the board by December 2025.
Village Administrator Gavin described the referral as an initiation of the zoning text-amendment process and said the commission will review whether the current ordinance reflects the community’s needs. He said the resolution includes a timeline and that staff would “lay out a very set timeline for holding the public hearings that are necessary for this process” and expects the commission to provide a “full report” and recommendation by December. Gavin also said the review would include prior committee meetings held in 2020 and 2021 but noted staff would collect current public input as part of the hearing process.
Trustees debated the scope of the review. Trustee Donnersberger urged the commission to weigh the potential effect of more permissive fence rules on the village’s character and asked for “parameters” and a strong justification before changing the ordinance. Other trustees said sending the matter to the Planning and Zoning Commission is appropriate because that body is tasked with making text-amendment recommendations and the board will make the final decision after receiving the commission’s report.
Trustees and staff described the process that the commission will follow: at the next Planning and Zoning meeting staff will outline review parameters and solicit input; the commission intends to allocate significant time to the topic through subsequent meetings and public outreach, potentially including surveys, to develop defensible standards and justifications for any proposed text amendments.
The board’s recorded vote on the resolution was 5-0 in favor. No ordinance change was adopted by the board; the resolution initiates the Planning and Zoning review and requires additional public hearings and a future board decision.