DuPage County zoning officials Thursday evening heard about proposed zoning changes aimed at the arrival of non-traditional occupants in traditional neighborhoods.
The public hearing before the county Zoning Board of Appeals drew about 70 people, including numerous speakers who criticized the proposal, saying it would be unfair to religious groups.
The County Board’s Development Committee worked with staff to draw up the draft revisions, which define places of assembly and add detail to the separately identified religious institutions that seek to locate in unincorporated DuPage. The proposed changes would allow places of assembly in all business, office/retail and industrial zoning districts and forbid them in areas zoned for residential use. A grandfathering clause would place existing churches, mosques, ashrams, lodges and other gathering places in a special overlay district.
