HAMPSHIRE – Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) was the feeling expressed by the more than 100 Hampshire residents in attendance at the February 27 meeting of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission.
According to Jay Hedges, Village Manager for the Village of Hampshire, “the members of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission voted 6 to 0 against two rezoning requests by Light Properties.”
One request for the rezoning was for property comprised of 38± acres, located on the north side of Higgins Road, west of US Hwy 20, and south of I-90 in Hampshire Township. The requested rezoning was to change the to M-2 for general industrial use.
The commissions also voted against the rezoning of 278± acres located generally north of I-90, east of US Hwy 20, and on either side of Dietrich Road in Hampshire Township. That rezoning request was to change the zoning to M-3 to make it an industrial zoning district. The M-3 zoning would allow for heavy industrial uses.
The meeting had been scheduled for February 13 for the village hall. It was cancelled and rescheduled because the number of residents wishing to attend the meeting exceeded the available space in the village hall.
The February 27 meeting was held in the Hampshire Middle School so that all the interested residents could attend.
Kathleen Carr, Hampshire resident and local business owner, stated that, “the meeting lasted more than three hours with speakers stating that the change in zoning would have detrimental effects on the health of area residents and that wildlife in the area would be harmed.”
The commission’s vote will be forwarded to the Hampshire Village Board of Trustee’s for their March 16 meeting. The commission’s vote is considered advisory while the Board of Trustee’s vote has legal ramifications.
